MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'BMB Reports' source. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:01:06 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327941&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20193124%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hwang SY, Rose LS Asymmetric cell division is a fundamental mechanism for the generation of body axes and cell diversity during early embryogenesis in many organisms. During intrinsically asymmetric divisions, an axis of polarity is established within the cell and the division plane is oriented to ensure the differential segregation of developmental determinants to the daughter cells. Studies in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans have contributed greatly to our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms underlying cell polarity and asymmetric division. However, much remains to be elucidated about the molecular machinery controlling the spatiotemporal distribution of key components. In this review we discuss recent findings that reveal intricate interactions between translatio... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327941 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3327941 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327940&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20193125%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kim IY, Shin JH, Seong JK Mouse models are crucial for the functional annotation of human genome. Gene modification techniques including gene targeting and gene trap in mouse have provided powerful tools in the form of genetically engineered mice (GEM) for understanding the molecular pathogenesis of human diseases. Several international consortium and programs are under way to deliver mutations in every gene in mouse genome. The information from studying these GEM can be shared through international collaboration. However, there are many limitations in utility because not all human genes are knocked out in mouse and they are not yet phenotypically characterized by standardized ways which is required for sharing and evaluating data from GEM. The recent improvement in mouse gene... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327940 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3327940 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327938&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20193127%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Liu Q, Gu X, Zhao Y, Zhang J, Zhao Y, Meng Q, Xu G, Hu X, Li N Clenbuterol, a Beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonist, has been proven to be a powerful repartition agent that can decrease fat deposition. Based on results from our previous cDNA microarray experiment of pig clenbuterol administration, a novel up-regulated EST was full-length cloned (4859 bp encoding 1041 amino acids) and found to be the pig homolog of large tumor suppressor 2 (Lats2). We mapped pig Lats2 to chromosome 11p13-14 by using FISH, and western blotting demonstrated that pig Lats2 protein was most abundant in adipose. In Drosophila, Lats2 ortholog was reported as a key component of the Hippo pathway which regulates cell differentiation and growth. Here, we show that pig Lats2 exhibit inverted expression to YAP1, a... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327938 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3327938 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327937&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20193128%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we characterized the SUMOylation system from an important crop plant, rice, and show that it responds to cold, salt and ABA stress conditions on a protein level via the accumulation of SUMOylated proteins. We also characterized the transcriptional regulation of individual SUMOylation cascade components during stress and development. During stress conditions, majority of the SUMO cascade components are transcriptionally down regulated. SUMO conjugate proteins and SUMO cascade component transcripts accumulated differentially in various tissues during plant development with highest levels in reproductive tissues. Taken together, these data suggest a role for SUMOylation in rice development and stress responses. [BMB reports 2010; 43(2): 103-109]. PMID: 20193128 [PubMed - in... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327937 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3327937 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327936&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20193129%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we attempted to efficiently identify false positives by introducing a tetracycline operator (tetO) motif into the RPR1 promoter of an RNA hybrid expression vector. We successfully developed a tight tetracycline-regulatable RPR1 promoter variant containing a single tetO motif between the transcription start site and the A-box sequence of the RPR1 promoter. Expression from this tetracycline-regulatable RPR1 promoter in the presence of tetracycline-response transcription activator (tTA) was positively controlled by doxycycline (Dox), a derivative of tetracycline. This on-off control runs opposite to the general knowledge that Dox negatively regulates tTA. This positively controlled RPR1 promoter system can therefore efficiently eliminate RNA-independent false positives commonly... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327936 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3327936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327935&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20193130%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lim D, Lee SH, Cho YM, Yoon D, Shin Y, Kim KW, Park HS, Kim H A large data set of Hanwoo (Korean cattle) ESTs was analyzed to obtain differential gene expression results for the following three libraries: intramuscular fat, longissimus dorsi muscle and liver. To better understand the gene expression profiles, we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) via digital gene expression analysis. Hierarchical clustering of genes was performed according to their relative abundance within the six separate groups (Hanwoo fat versus non-Hanwoo fat, Hanwoo muscle versus non-Hanwoo muscle and Hanwoo liver versus non-Hanwoo liver), producing detailed patterns of gene expression. We determined the quantitative traits associated with the highly expressed genes. We also provide the fir... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327935 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3327935 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327934&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20193131%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Yi SS, Hwang IK, Shin JH, Baek SH, Yoon YS, Seong JK Homozygous staggerer (RORa(sg/sg)) mice showed a severe ataxia caused by cerebellum degeneration. Decreased and dysfunctional Rora is a main cause of this neurologic phenotype. The phenotype of staggerer mice has been well known in cerebellum. However, there has been rarely reported about cerebrum even though of staggerer is expressed in merely cerebellum but hippocampus, thalamus, cortex, and olfactory bulb. The expressions of Ki67, doublecortin (DCX), and NeuN, which are cell proliferation, neuronal differentiation and mature neuron markers, respectively, were measured with immunohistechemistry in dentate gyrus in staggerer mice in order to uncover whether staggerer can affect the change in dentate gyrus. The immunoreactiv... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327934 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3327934 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327933&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20193132%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kwon IS, Lee KH, Choi JW, Ahn JY Phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-triphosphate (PIP(3)) is a lipid second messenger that employs a wide range of downstream effector proteins for the regulation of cellular processes, including cell survival, polarization and proliferation. One of the most well characterized cytoplasmic targets of PIP(3), serine/threonine protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt, promotes cell survival by directly interacting with nucleophosmin (NPM)/B23, the nuclear target of PIP(3). Here, we report that nuclear PIP(3) competes with Akt to preferentially bind B23 in the nucleoplasm. Mutation of Arg23 and Arg25 in the PH domain of Akt prevents binding to PIP(3), but does not disrupt the Akt/B23 interaction. However, treatment with phosphatases PTEN or SHIP abrogates the associati... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327933 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3327933 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327932&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20193133%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kim AJ, Kim K, Choi JH, Choi EH, Jung YJ, Min NY, Lkhagvasuren G, Rhee S, Kim JH, Noh M, Park AJ, Kim KY, Kang Y, Lee KH, Kim KC We have performed analyses using ancient DNA extracted from 25 excavated human bones, estimating around the 1(st) century B.C. Ancient human bones were obtained from Nukdo Island, which is located off of the Korean peninsula of East Asia. We made concerted efforts to extract ancient DNA of high quality and to obtain reproducible PCR products, as this was a primary consideration for this extensive kind of undertaking. We performed PCR amplifications for several regions of the mitochondrial DNA, and could determine mitochondrial haplogroups for 21 ancient DNA samples. Genetic information from mitochondrial DNA belonged to super-haplogroup M, haplogroup... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327932 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3327932 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327931&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20193134%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Yue T, Yin J, Li F, Li D, Du M The present study investigated whether the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signal pathway is involved in the regulation of high glucose-induced intramuscular adipogenesis in porcine muscle satellite cells. High glucose (25 mM) dramatically increased intracellular lipid accumulation in cells during the 10-day adipogenic differentiation period. The expressions of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-alpha (C/EBP-alpha) and fatty acid synthase (FAS) protein were gradually enhanced during the 10-day duration while mTOR phosphorylation and sterol-regulatory-element-binding protein (SREBP)-1c protein were induced on day 4. Moreover, inhibition of mTOR activity by rapamycin resulted in a reduction of SREBP-1c protein expression and adipogenesis in cells.... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327931 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3327931 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327930&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20193135%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we expressed a fusion protein consisting of exendin-4 and the human immunoglobulin heavy chain (Ex-4/IgG-Fc) in E. coli and explored its potential therapeutic use for the treatment of insulin-resistant type 2 diabetes. Here, we show that the Ex-4/IgG-Fc fusion protein induces expression of insulin receptor substrate-2 in rat insulinoma INS-1 cells. Our findings therefore suggest that Ex-4/IgG-Fc overexpressed in E. coli could be used as a potential, long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 mimetic. [BMB reports 2010; 43(2): 146-149]. PMID: 20193135 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327930 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3327930 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327939&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20193126%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we demonstrate that MIC-1 induces the transactivation of EGFR, ErbB2, and ErbB3 through the activation of c-Src in SK-BR-3 breast cells. MIC-1 induced significant phosphorylation of EGFR at Tyr845, ErbB2 at Tyr877, and ErbB3 at Tyr1289 as well as Akt and p38, Erk1/2, and JNK mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Treatment of SK-BR-3 cells with MIC-1 increased the phosphorylation level of Src at Tyr416, and induced invasiveness of those cells. Inhibition of c-Src activity resulted in the complete abolition of MIC-1-induced phosphorylation of the EGFR, ErbB2, and ErbB3, as well as invasiveness and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 expression in SK-BR-3 cells. Collectively, these results show that MIC-1 may participate in the malignant progression of certain cancer cells th... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327939 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3327939 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3248846&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20132728%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chaikam V, Karlson DT The cold shock domain (CSD) is among the most ancient and well conserved nucleic acid binding domains from bacteria to higher animals and plants. The CSD facilitates binding to RNA, ssDNA and dsDNA and most functions attributed to cold shock domain proteins are mediated by this nucleic acid binding activity. In prokaryotes, cold shock domain proteins only contain a single CSD and are termed cold shock proteins (Csps). In animal model systems, various auxiliary domains are present in addition to the CSD and are commonly named Y-box proteins. Similar to animal CSPs, plant CSPs contain auxiliary C-terminal domains in addition to their N-terminal CSD. Cold shock domain proteins have been shown to play important roles in development and stress adaptation in wi... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3248846 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3248846 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3248845&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20132729%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jung KY, Kyung CE, In LS, Lim CO, Ju CY The promoters of OsCaM1 and OsCaM3 were characterized after sequencing and fused to the reporter gene, GUS. The constructs were then transformed into the tobacco plant. Histochemical analysis of GUS showed different expression patterns in pOsCaM1::GUS and pOsCaM3:: GUS transgenic plants. The expression of pOsCaM1::GUS in 4- to 15-day-old seedlings in particular was observed only in the root, while the expression of pOsCaM3::GUS was detected in both the cotyledons and root. Also, pRCaM1::GUS was detected in all the tissues surrounding the root system, while the presence of pOsCaM3::GUS was observed in the root, except in the root meristem. However, in mature transgenic plants, the expression of pOsCaM1::GUS and OsRCaM3::GUS was scarcely d... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3248845 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3248845 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3248844&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20132730%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, a novel member of BTB-kelch proteins, named KBTBD7, was cloned from a human embryonic heart cDNA library. The cDNA of KBTBD7 is 3,008 bp long and encodes a protein product of 684 amino acids (77.2 kD). This protein is highly conserved in evolution across different species. Western blot analysis indicates that a 77 kD protein specific for KBTBD7 is wildly expressed in all embryonic tissues examined. In COS-7 cells, KBTBD7 proteins are localized to the cytoplasm. KBTBD7 is a transcription activator when fused to GAL4 DNA-binding domain. Deletion analysis indicates that the BTB domain and kelch repeat motif are main regions for transcriptional activation. Overexpression of KBTBD7 in MCF-7 cells activates the transcriptional activities of activator protein-1 (AP-1) and serum res... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3248844 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3248844 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3248843&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20132731%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Boonyos P, Soonsanga S, Boonserm P, Promdonkoy B Binary toxin consisting of BinA and BinB from Bacillus sphaericus is toxic to mosquito larvae. BinB is responsible for specific binding to the larval gut cell membrane while BinA is crucial for toxicity. To investigate functional role of cysteine in BinB, three cysteine residues at positions 67, 161, and 241 were replaced by alanine or serine. Mutations at these positions did not affect protein production and overall structure of BinB. These cysteine residues are not involved in disulfide bond formation between BinB molecules. Mosquito-larvicidal assays revealed that C67 and C161 are essential for toxicity, whereas C241 is not. Mutations at C67 and C161 resulted in weaker BinA-BinB interaction. The loss of toxicity may be due to... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3248843 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3248843 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3248842&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20132732%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Park JA, Kim KC It is well known that PR/SET family members participate in transcriptional regulation via chromatin remodeling. PRDM10 might play an essential role in gene expression, but no such evidence has been observed so far. To assess PRDM10 expression at various stages of mouse development, we performed immunohistochemistry using available PRDM10 antibody. Embryos were obtained from three distinct developmental stages. At E8.5, PRDM10 expression was concentrated in the mesodermal and neural crest populations. As embryogenesis proceeded further to E13.5, PRMD10 expression was mainly in mesoderm-derived tissues such as somites and neural crest-derived populations such as the facial skeleton. This expression pattern was consistently maintained to the fetal growth period E1... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3248842 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3248842 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3248841&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20132733%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jin XF, Xiong AS, Peng RH, Liu JG, Gao F, Chen JM, Yao QH Expression patterns of OsAREB1 revealed that expression of OsAREB1 gene can be induced by ABA, PEG and heat. Yeast one-hybrid assay demonstrated it can bind to ABA-responsive element (ABRE), which was found in most stress-induced genes. Transgenic Arabidopsis over-expressing OsAREB1 had different responses to ABA and glucose compared to wild-type plants, which suggest OsAREB1 might have a crucial role in these two signaling pathways. Further analysis indicate that OsAREB1 have multiple functions in Arabidopsis. First, OsAREB1 transgenic plants had higher resistance to drought and heat, and OsAREB1 up-regulated the ABA/stress related gene such as RD29A and RD29B. Second, it delayed plant flowering time by down-regulating... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3248841 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3248841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3248840&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20132734%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, the AMPK gene was fused in-frame with PEP-1 peptide in a bacterial expression vector to produce a PEP-1-AMPK fusion protein. Expressed and purified PEP-1-AMPK fusion proteins were transduced efficiently into macrophage Raw 264.7 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, transduced PEP-1-AMPK fusion protein markedly inhibited LPS-induced iNOS and COX-2 expression. These results suggest that the PEP-1-AMPK fusion protein can be used for the protein therapy of COX-2 and NO-related disorders such as inflammation and neuronal diseases. [BMB reports 2010; 43(1): 40-45]. PMID: 20132734 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3248840 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3248840 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3248839&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20132735%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we observed that several flavonoids-kaempferol, quercetin, fisetin, and chrysin-inhibit LPS-induced IL-8 promoter activation in RAW 264.7 cells. In contrast with quercetin and fisetin, pretreatment of kaempferol and chrysin did not decrease cell viability. Inflammatory cell infiltrates in the dermis and thickening of the epidermis induced by burn injuries in mice was relieved by kaempferol treatment. However, the injury was worsened by fisetin, quercetin, and chrysin. Expression of TNF-a induced by burn injuries was decreased by kaempferol. These findings suggest the potential use of kaempferol as a therapeutic in thermal burn-induced skin injuries. [BMB reports 2010; 43(1): 46-51]. PMID: 20132735 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3248839 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3248839 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3248838&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20132736%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, silk fibroin was added to MG-63 cell cultures, and changes in gene expression in the MG-63 cells were screened by DNA microarray analysis. Genes showing a significant (2-fold) change were selected and their expression changes confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR and western blotting. DNA microarray results showed that alkaline phosphatase (ALP), collagen type-I alpha-1, fibronectin, and transforming growth factor-beta1 expressions significantly increased. The effect of degraded silk fibroin on osteoblastogenic gene expression was confirmed by observing up-regulation of ALP activity in MG-63 cells. The finding that small fragments of silk fibroin are able to increase the expression of osteoblastogenic genes suggests that controlled degradation of silk fibroin might accelerate new... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3248838 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3248838 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3248837&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20132737%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Son YO, Heo JS, Kim TG, Jeon YM, Kim JG, Lee JC Activator protein-1 can induce either cell survival or death, which is controlled by opposing effects of different Jun members. It is generally accepted that c-Jun is pro-apoptotic, but that JunD is anti-apoptotic in stress-exposed cells. Additionally, although there are reports suggesting that JunB plays a protective role, its role in stress-induced apoptosis remains unclear. Here, we investigated the role of JunB in H(2)O(2)-induced cell death using cells that over-expressed the protein or were transfected with si-JunB. Inhibition of JunB expression accelerated H(2)O(2)-mediated loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and cytotoxicity. Conversely, over-expression of JunB protein led to significant inhibition of the MMP l... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3248837 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3248837 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3248836&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20132738%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhang C, Li Y, Shi X, Kim SK Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc-endopeptidases which can degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) components and play important roles in a variety of biological and pathological processes. 6,6'-bieckol isolated and characterized from an edible marine brown alga Ecklonia cava (EC), according to the comprehensive spectral analysis of MS and NMR data. Here the influence of 6,6'-bieckol on expressions of MMPs was examined by zymography and western blot analysis via human fibrosarcoma cell line (HT1080). It is shown that 6,6'-bieckol significantly down regulated the expressions of MMP-2 and -9 in dose-dependent manner. The influence of 6,6'-bieckol on the cell viability and cell behavior of HT1080 cells were also investigated, our dates ... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3248836 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3248836 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3146695&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20044947%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lee S, Cho E, Jung S Periplasmic glucans (PGs) are general constituents in the periplasmic space of Proteobacteria. PGs from bacterial strains are found in larger amounts during growth on medium with low osmolarity and thus are often been specified as osmoregulated periplasmic glucans (OPGs). Furthermore, they appear to play crucial roles in pathogenesis and symbiosis. PGs have been classified into four families based on the structural features of their backbones, and they can be modified by a variety of non-sugar substituents. It has also recently been confirmed that novel PGs with various degrees of polymerization (DPs) and/or different substituents are produced under different growth conditions among Proteobacteria. In addition to their biological functions as regulators of... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3146695 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3146695 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3146694&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20044948%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: van de Veerdonk FL, Gresnigt MS, Kullberg BJ, van der Meer JW, Joosten LA, Netea MG T helper (Th) 17 cells have recently been described as a third subset of T helper cells, and have provided new insights into the mechanisms that are important in the development of autoimmune diseases and the immune responses that are essential for effective antimicrobial host defense. Both protective and harmful effects of Th17 responses during infection have been described. In general, Th17 responses are critical for mucosal and epithelial host defense against extracellular bacteria and fungi. However, recent studies have reported that Th17 responses can also contribute to viral persistence and chronic inflammation associated with parasitic infection. It has become evident that the type of mi... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3146694 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3146694 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3146693&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20044949%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Borghini S, Bachetti T, Fava M, Duca MD, Ravazzolo R, Ceccherini I TLX2 is an orphan homeodomain transcription factor whose expression is mainly associated with tissues derived from neural crest cells. Recently, we have demonstrated that PHOX2A and PHOX2B are able to enhance the neural cell-type specific expression of human TLX2 by binding distally the 5'-flanking region. In the present work, to deepen into the TLX2 transcription regulation, we have focused on the proximal 5'- flanking region of the gene, mapping the transcription start site and identifying a minimal promoter necessary and sufficient for the basal transcription in cell lines from different origin. Site-directed mutagenesis has allowed to demonstrate that the integrity of this sequence is crucial for gene expre... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3146693 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3146693 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3146692&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20044950%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we examined the effects of the Agrocybe chaxingu beta-glucan (polysaccharide) on lipopolysaccaride (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in murine macrophage Raw 264.7 cells as well as 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA)-induced ear edema in mice. The polysaccharide significantly inhibited (P 0.01) LPS-induced iNOS and COX-2 expression levels in the cells. Furthermore, topical application of polysaccharide resulted in markedly inhibited (P 0.01) TPA-induced ear edema in mice. These results suggest that this polysaccharide may be used for NO- and COX-2-related disorders such as inflammation and cancer. PMID: 20044950 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3146692 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3146692 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3146691&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20044951%26dopt%3DAbstract This study investigated the effect of subconjunctival injections of bevacizumab, an anti-VEGF antibody, on processes involved in corneal wound healing after alkali burn injury. Mice were divided into three groups: Group 1 was the saline-treated control, group 2 received subconjunctival injection of bevacizumab 1 hr after injury and group 3 received bevacizumab 1 hr and 4 days after injury. Cornea neovascularization and opacity were observed using a slit lamp microscope. Corneal repair was assessed through histological analysis and immunostaining for CD31, alpha-SMA, collagen I, and TGF-beta2 7 days post-injury. In group 3, injection of bevacizumab significantly lowered neovascularization and improved corneal transparency. Immunostaining analysis demonstrated a reduction in CD31, alpha-SMA ... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3146691 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3146691 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3146690&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20044952%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we examined the anti-tumor activity and cellular mechanism of the synthetic compound (E)-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl)-3-styrylurea (PAPU1) using melanoma B16/F10 and M-3 cells. Results showed that PAPU1 inhibited the cell proliferation and viability, but did not induce cytotoxic effects on primary cultured fibroblasts. PAPU1 induced apoptotic cell death rather than necrosis in melanoma cells, a result clearly proven by the shift of cells into sub-G1 phase of the cell cycle and by the substantial increase in cells positively stained with TUNEL or Annexin V. Collectively, this study revealed that PAPU1 induced apoptosis in a caspase-dependent manner, suggesting a potential role as a cancer chemopreventive agent for melanoma cells. PMID: 20044952 [PubMed - in process] (Source... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3146690 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3146690 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3146689&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20044953%26dopt%3DAbstract This study showed that S. pombe AAP is a moonlight protein that has aspartyl aminopeptidase and chaperone activities. PMID: 20044953 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3146689 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3146689 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3146688&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20044954%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ramnanan CJ, Storey KB Type-1 phosphatase (PP-1) was assessed in foot muscle (FM) and hepatopancreas (HP) of estivating (EST) Otala lactea. Snail PP-1 displayed several conserved traits, including sensitivity to inhibitors, substrate affinity, and reduction in size to a 39 kDa catalytic subunit (PP-1c). During EST, PP-1 activity in FM and HP crude extracts was reduced, though kinetics and protein levels of purified PP-1c isoforms were not altered. PP-1c protein levels increased and decreased in nuclear and glycogen-associated fractions, respectively, during EST. Gel filtration determined that a 257 kDa low K(m) PP-1alpha complex decreased during estivation whereas a 76 kDa high K(m) complex increased in EST. Western blotting confirmed that the 76 kDa protein consisted of PP-1a... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3146688 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3146688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3146687&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20044955%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ryu T, Lee S, Hur CG, Lee D Techniques for analyzing protein-DNA interactions on a genome-wide scale have recently established regulatory roles for distal enhancers. However, the large sizes of higher eukaryotic genomes have made identification of these elements difficult. Information regarding sequence conservation, exon annotation and repetitive regions can be used to reduce the size of the search region. However, previously developed resources are inadequate for consolidating such information. CONVIRT is a web resource for the identification of transcription factor binding sites and also features comparative genomics. Genomic information on ortholog-independent conserved regions, exons, repeats and sequences is integrated into the virtual chromosome, and statistically over-... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3146687 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3146687 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3146686&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20044956%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jang SH, Song HD, Kang DK, Chang SI, Kim MK, Cho KH, Scherga HA, Shin HC Angiogenin is a member of the ribonuclease superfamily that induces the formation of new blood vessels. It has been suggested that the surface loop of angiogenin defined by residues 59-71 plays a special role in angiogenic function (1); however, the mechanism of action is not clearly defined. To elucidate the role of the surface loop on the structure, function and stability of angiogenin, three surface loop mutants were produced in which 14 amino acids in the surface loop of RNase A were substituted for the 13 amino acids in the corresponding loop of angiogenin. The structure, stability and biological functions of the mutants were then investigated using biophysical and biological approaches. Even though ... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3146686 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3146686 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3146685&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20044957%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we examined the possible association of DNMT1 polymorphisms with HBV clearance and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Seven common polymorphic sites were selected by considering their allele frequencies, haplotype-tagging status and LDs for genotyping in larger-scale subjects (n = 1,100). Statistical analysis demonstrated that two intron polymorphisms of DNMT1, +34542G > C and +38565G > T, showed significant association with HBV clearance in a co-dominant model (OR = 1.30, P(corr) = 0.03) and co- dominant/recessive model (OR = 1.34-1.74, P(corr) = 0.01-0.03), respectively. These results suggest that two intron polymorphisms of DNMT1,+34542G > C and +38565G > T, might affect HBV clearance. PMID: 20044957 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3146685 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3146685 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3146684&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20044958%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, Casein Kinase 2 (CK2) was identified as a binding and regulatory partner for MSK1. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, MSK1 was found to interact with the CK2beta regulatory subunit of CK2. Interactions between MSK1 and the CK2alpha catalytic subunit and CK2beta subunit were demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. We further found that CK2alpha can only interact with the C-terminal kinase domain of MSK1. Using site-directed mutagenesis assay and mass spectrometry, we identified five sites in the MSK1 C-terminus that could be phosphorylated by CK2 in vitro: Ser757, Ser758, Ser759, Ser760 and Thr793. Of these, Ser757, Ser759, Ser760 and Thr793 were previously unknown. PMID: 20044958 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3146684 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3146684 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048914&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19944009%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Nam HJ, Jeon J, Kim S Membrane proteins play important roles in the biology of the cell, including intercellular communication and molecular transport. Their well-established importance notwithstanding, the high-resolution structures of membrane proteins remain elusive due to difficulties in protein expression, purification and crystallization. Thus, accurate prediction of membrane protein topology can increase the understanding of membrane protein function. Here, we provide a brief review of the diverse computational methods for predicting membrane protein structure and function, including recent progress and essential bioinformatics tools. Our hope is that this review will be instructive to users studying membrane protein biology in their choice of appropriate bioinformatics... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048914 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3048914 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048913&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19944010%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jones WD Our understanding of the relationships between genes, brains, and behaviors has changed a lot since the first behavioral mutants were isolated in the fly bottles of the Benzer lab at Caltech (1), but Drosophila is still an excellent model system for studying the neurobiology of behavior. Recent advances provide an unprecedented level of control over fly neural circuits. Efforts are underway to add to existing GAL4-driver lines that permit exogenous expression of genetic tools in small populations of neurons. Combining these driver lines with a variety of inducible UAS lines permits the visualization of neuronal morphology, connectivity, and activity. These driver lines also make it possible to specifically ablate, inhibit, or activate subsets of neurons and assess the... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048913 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3048913 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048912&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19944011%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Park HH Apoptotic DNA fragmentation, the hallmark of apoptosis, is mediated primarily by caspase-activated DFF40 (CAD) nuclease. DFF40 exists as a heterodimer with DFF45 (ICAD), which is a specific chaperone and inhibitor of DFF40 under normal conditions. To understand the mechanism through which the DFF40/DFF45 system is regulated, we analyzed the structural and biochemical properties of apoptotic DNA fragmentation mediated by DFF40/DFF45. Using limited proteolysis, we show that residues 1-281 of DFF45 form a rigid, crystallized domain, whereas the loop formed by residues 277-281 is accessible by trypsin. These results show that the C-terminal helix formed by residues 281-300 is dynamic and necessary for the chaperone activity of DFF45, but not for inhibition of DFF40. [BMB r... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048912 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3048912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048911&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19944012%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Arduino DM, Esteves AR, Domingues AF, Pereira CM, Cardoso SM, Oliveira CR Recent studies have revealed that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) disturbance is involved in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders, contributing to the activation of the ER stress-mediated apoptotic pathway. Therefore, we investigated here the molecular mechanisms underlying the ER-mitochondria axis, focusing on calcium as a potential mediator of cell death signals. Using NT2 cells treated with brefeldin A or tunicamycin, we observed that ER stress induces changes in the mitochondrial function, impairing mitochondrial membrane potential and distressing mitochondrial respiratory chain complex Moreover, stress stimuli at ER level evoked calcium fluxes between ER and mitochondria. Under these condit... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048911 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3048911 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048910&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19944013%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wang F, Fu XD, Zhou Y, Zhang Y Cyclin E1 (CCNE1), a positive regulator of the cell cycle, controls the transition of cells from G1 to S phase. In numerous human tumors, however, CCNE1 expression is frequently dysregulated, while the mechanism leading to its dysregulation remains incompletely defined. Herein, we showed that CCNE1 expression was subject to post-transcriptional regulation by a microRNA miR-16-1. This was evident at protein level of CCNE1 as well as its mRNA level. Further evident by dual luciferase reporter assay revealed that two evolutionary conserved binding sites on 3' UTR of CCNE1 were the direct functional target sites. Moreover, we showed that miR-16-1 induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest by targeting CCNE1 and siRNA against CCNE1 partially phenocopied miR-16-1... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048910 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3048910 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048909&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19944014%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lee KW, Hur BU, Song SY, Choi HJ, Shin SH, Cha SH The generation of functional recombinant antibodies from hybridomas is necessary for antibody engineering. However, this is not easily accomplished due to high levels of aberrant heavy and light chain mRNAs, which require a highly selective technology that has proven complicated and difficult to operate. Herein, we attempt to use an alkaline phosphate (AP)-fused form of single-chain variable fragment (scFv) for the simple identification of a hybridoma-derived, functional recombinant antibody. As a representative example, we cloned the scFv gene from a hybridoma-producing mouse IgG against branchedchain keto acid dehydrogenase complex-E2 (BCKD-E2) into an expression vector containing an in-frame phoA gene. Functional recombinant... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048909 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3048909 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048908&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19944015%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Choi SM, Park H Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha/beta (HIF-1alpha/beta) is a heterodimeric transcriptional activator that mediates gene expression in response to hypoxia. HIF-1alpha has been noted as an effective therapeutic target for ischemic diseases such as myocardiac infarction, stroke and cancer. By using a yeast two-hybrid system and a random peptide library, we found a 16-mer peptide named F29 that directly interacts with the bHLH-PAS domain of HIF-1alpha. We found that F29 facilitates the interaction of the HIF-1alpha/beta heterodimer with its target DNA sequence, hypoxia-responsive element (HRE). The transient transfection of an F29-expressing plasmid increases the expression of both an HRE-driven luciferase gene and the endogenous HIF-1 target gene, vascular endothel... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048908 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3048908 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048907&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19944016%26dopt%3DAbstract In this report, we describe the development of a novel compound, Stabilized Ascorbyl Pentapeptide (SAP), which physically is much more stable than L-ascorbic acid in water. The inhibitory effects of this SAP compound on tyrosinase and melanin synthesis is comparable to that of L-ascorbic acid. Importantly, the SAP compound displays no cytotoxicity at a high concentration (5 mM). The ability of SAP to promote collagen biosynthesis is greater than that of L-ascorbic acid or the KTTKS peptide alone. Considering the in vitro stability and functional effects, our data strongly suggest that the SAP compound is a good candidate not only as a cosmetic ingredient, but also as a wound healing agent. [BMB reports 2009; 42(11): 743-746]. PMID: 19944016 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048907 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3048907 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048906&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19944017%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: E HC, E HG, F SG, J AA Transcriptional silencing of subtelomeric genes is associated with telomere length, which is correlated with age. Long and short telomeres in young and old people, respectively, coincide with gene repression and activation in each case. In addition, differential location of genes with respect to telomeres causes telomere position effect. There is very little evidence of the manner in which age-related telomere length affects the expression of specific human subtelomeric genes. We analyzed the relationship between telomere length and gene expression levels in fibroblasts derived from human donors at ages ranging from 0-70 years. We studied three groups of genes located between 100 and 150 kb, 200 and 250 kb, and > 300 kb away from telomeres. We found t... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048906 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3048906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048905&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19944018%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we introduced the yeast ACE1 into Arabidopsis and analyzed its function in plant. Under high copper stress, the transgenic plants over-expressing ACE1 showed higher survival rate than the wild-type. We also found that over-expression of ACE1 in Arabidopsis increased the activities of SOD and POD, which were beneficial to the cell in copper buffering. Excess copper would suppress the expression of chlorophyll biosynthetic genes in Arabidopsis, RT-PCR analysis revealed that over-expression of ACE1 decrease the suppression. Together, our results indicate that ACE1 may play an important role in response to copper stress in Arabidopsis. [BMB reports 2009; 42(11): 752-757]. PMID: 19944018 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048905 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3048905 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048904&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19944019%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kim Y, Jeoung D Cancer-associated antigen (CAGE) induces the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) by activating Akt, which in turn interacts with inhibitory kappa kinase beta (IkappaKbeta) to activate nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB). Akt and p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) are necessary for CAGE-mediated induction of the AP-1 subunit JunB, whereas extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) is necessary for the induction of fos-related antigen-1 (Fra-1). Induction of MMP-2 by CAGE requires activator of protein-1 (AP-1) to be bound. Specific binding of JunB to MMP-2 promoter sequences was shown by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis. [BMB reports 2009; 42(11): 758-763]. PMID: 19944019 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048904 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3048904 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048903&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19944020%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cho HJ, Lee S, Kim H The tandem ubiquitin-interacting motif (UIM) domain located at the N-terminus of Receptor Associated Protein 80 (RAP80) plays a crucial role in ionizing radiation (IR)-induced DNA damage response. RAP80 translocates to sites of IR-induced DNA damage through interaction of its UIM domain with ubiquitinated H2A and Lys63-linked polyubiquitin chains. The exact mechanism, however, through which RAP80 associates with Lys63-linked polyubiquitin chains is not clear. Here, we show by in vitro GST-pull down assays that modifying the linker region between the tandem ubiquitin binding domains of RAP80 changes the binding affinity for Lys63-linked polyubiquitin chains and affects translocation to sites of DNA breaks. Based on these findings, we suggest that the length... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048903 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3048903 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2947792&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19874705%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hahn JS Hsp90, an evolutionarily conserved molecular chaperone, is involved in the folding, stabilization, activation, and assembly of a wide range of 'client' proteins, thus playing a central role in many biological processes. Especially, several oncoproteins act as Hsp90 client proteins and tumor cells require higher Hsp90 activity than normal cells to maintain their malignancy. For this reason, Hsp90 has emerged as a promising target for anti-cancer drug development. It is still largely unknown how Hsp90 can recognize structurally unrelated client proteins. However, recent progress in structural studies on Hsp90 and its interaction with various co-chaperones has broadened our knowledge of how the Hsp90 ATPase activity, which is essential for its chaperone function, is regul... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2947792 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2947792 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2947791&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19874706%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Nakai A The heat shock transcription factor (HSF) family consists of at least three members in mammals and regulates expression of heat shock proteins in response to heat shock and proteotoxic stresses. Especially, HSF1 is indispensable for this response. Members of this family are also involved in development of some tissues such as the brain and reproductive organs. However, we did not know the molecular mechanisms that regulate developmental processes. Involvement of HSFs in the sensory development was implicated by the finding that human hereditary cataract is associated with mutations of the HSF4 gene. Analysis of gene-disrupted mice showed that HSF4 and HSF1 are required for the lens and the olfactory epithelium, respectively. Furthermore, a common molecular mechanism th... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2947791 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2947791 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2947790&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19874707%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we used CDR and FR sequences from the humanized anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody trastuzumab to design four antibody mimetics. Then these antibody mimetics were fused to human IgG Fc to generate mimetics-Fc small antibodies. One of the four mimetics-Fc antibodies binds well to HER2-overexpressing SK-BR3 cells and effectively inhibits the binding of trastuzumab. This mimetics-Fc, denoted as HMTI-Fc, was shown to be effective in mediating antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and exhibit an antiproliferative effect in SK-BR3 cells. To our knowledge, the HMTI-Fc antibody shown here is the smallest fully functional antibody and may have a potential for treatment of cancer. [BMB reports 2009; 42(10): 636-641]. PMID: 19874707 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2947790 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2947790 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2947789&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19874708%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, the effects of Ca(2+) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) on microsomal triglyceride (TG) transfer protein (MTP) activity were investigated in rat liver. MTP activity was high when liver contained low levels of cAMP, which was induced by administration of glucose, or high levels of total Ca(2+) and TG. However, MTP activity increased by high levels of Ca(2+) and TG was reduced in a dose-dependent manner by treatment with dibutyryl-cAMP (db-cAMP), a cAMP analogue. Conversely, when homogenates of liver from normal rats, with low levels of total Ca(2+) and high levels of cAMP, were incubated with thapsigargin, a Ca(2+)-inducer, MTP activity was increased in a dose-dependent manner compared to control. Therefore, our results suggest that high levels of Ca(2+) cause hypertr... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2947789 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2947789 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2947788&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19874709%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Li T, Liu GL, Duan MX, Liu JY Overexpression of phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PHGPx) genes has been reported to play an important role in protecting host cells from oxidative injury in several model systems. A radish phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (RsPHGPx) known to have high catalytic activity was applied to mouse 3T3 fibroblasts to determine the protective effects of PHGPx against oxidative injury triggered by hydroperoxides such as hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) and phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide (PCOOH). We observed that preincubation of cells with RsPHGPx significantly increased cell viability, reduced levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), inhibited generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and maint... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2947788 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2947788 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2947787&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19874710%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kim SO, Choi BT, Choi IW, Cheong J, Kim GY, Kwon TK, Kim ND, Choi YH The potential anti-metastasis and anti-invasion activities of early growth response gene-1 (Egr-1) and claudin-3, a tight junction (TJ)-related protein, were evaluated using histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors in human hepatocarcinoma cells. The results of wound healing and Transwell assays showed that HDAC inhibitors such as trichostatin A and sodium butyrate inhibited cell migration and invasion. HDAC inhibitors markedly induced Egr-1 expression during the early period, after which expression levels decreased. In addition, the down-regulation of snail and type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) in HDAC inhibitor-treated cells induced the upregulation of thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), E-cadherin and... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2947787 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2947787 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2947786&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19874711%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we investigated expression of lineage markers and performed proteomic analysis. Expression of the early lineage markers Pdx1 and Ptf1a was developmentally conserved between mice and pigs, whereas expression of the islet differentiation marker Pax4 was delayed in porcine compared with murine pancreas development. Proteomic analysis found that expression levels of chymotrypsinogen were downregulated during porcine pancreas development while those of digestive enzymes like lipases, elastase and serine protease were up-regulated. In addition, specific isoforms of protein folding assistants such as protein disulfide isomerase and prefoldin were expressed at specific stages during the maturation of digestive enzymes. Taken together, these results show that development of the porci... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2947786 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2947786 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2947785&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19874712%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Yin C, Long Q, Lei T, Chen X, Long H, Feng B, Peng Y, Wu Y, Yang Z Plasma concentrations of adiponectin have been shown to be decreased in patients with obesity, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and metabolic syndrome. Recent studies have found that adiponectin reduces lipid accumulation in macrophage foam cells which may impact the development of atherosclerosis. However, it remains unclear whether adiponectin is involved in the process of lipid accumulation during myogenesis. Using C2C12 myoblasts, we investigated the effect of adiponectin on intramyocellular lipid accumulation during myogenesis. The results showed that intracellular lipid accumulation is significantly decreased during C2C12 differentiation, apparently due to increased fatty acid oxidation and decreased... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2947785 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2947785 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2947784&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19874713%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kim YJ, Shim JS, Lee JH, Jung DY, Sun H, In JG, Yang DC The cDNA of alcohol dehydrogenase (PgADH) was isolated and characterized from the leaf of Panax ginseng. The cDNA had an open reading frame of 801 bp and a deduced amino acid sequence of 266 residues. The calculated molecular mass of the mature protein is approximately 29 kDa with a predicated isoelectric point of 6.84. Homology analysis revealed that the deduced amino acid of PgADH shares a high degree of homology with the short-chain ADH proteins of other plants. Genomic DNA hybridization analysis indicated that PgADH represents a multi-gene family. The expression of PgADH under various environmental stresses was analyzed at different time points using real-time PCR. ABA, SA and especially JA (80-fold) significantly ind... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2947784 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2947784 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2947783&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19874714%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gonzalez Mdel C, Vidal H, Herrera E, Bocos C Fenofibrate has been proven to reduce adiposity. Since gestation produces an increase in white adipose tissue (WAT) mass, we comparatively studied this drug-effect in virgin and pregnant rats. Fenofibrate reduced lumbar WAT weight in both pregnant and virgin rats. Fenofibrate treatment did not modify plasma free fatty acid (FFA) concentration in virgin rats, it greatly increased it in pregnant animals. Remarkable differences between the two groups were obtained for two proteins related to fatty acid oxidation and esterification and storing. Respectively, the mRNA levels of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT-I) were increased by the fenofibrate only in the virgin rats and a similar finding was observed for the expression of phosph... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2947783 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2947783 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2947782&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19874715%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, the authors found that S1P increases the level of VEGF mRNA in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and immortalized HUVECs (iHUVECs). Additionally, S1P was found to increase VEGF promoter activity in MS-1 mouse pancreatic islet endothelial cells. Furthermore, a pharmacological inhibitory study revealed that G(alphai/o)-mediated phospholipase C, Akt, Erk, and p38 MAPK signaling are involved in this S1P-induced expression of VEGF. A component of AP1 transcription factor is important for S1P-induced VEGF expression. Taken together, these findings suggest that S1P enhances endothelial cell proliferation and migration by upregulating the expression of VEGF mRNA. [BMB reports 2009; 42(10): 685-690]. PMID: 19874715 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2947782 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2947782 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2947781&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19874716%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we found that the expression of pref-1 is regulated by the transcription factor E2F1. The expression of pref-1 and E2F1 was strongly induced in preadipocytes and at the late differentiation stage. Using luciferase reporter assay, ChIP assay and EMSA, we found that the -211/-194 region of the pref-1 promoter is essential for the binding of E2F1 as well as E2F1-dependent transcriptional activation. Knockdown of E2F1 reduced both pref-1 promoter activity and the level of pref-1 mRNA. Taken together, our data suggest that transcriptional activation of pref-1 is stimulated by E2F1 protein in adipocytes. [BMB reports 2009; 42(10): 691-696]. PMID: 19874716 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2947781 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2947781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2855929&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19788854%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bhak G, Choe YJ, Paik SR Amyloidogenesis defines a condition in which a soluble and innocuous protein turns to insoluble protein aggregates known as amyloid fibrils. This protein suprastructure derived via chemically specific molecular self-assembly process has been commonly observed in various neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Prion diseases. Although the major culprit for the cellular degeneration in the diseases remains unsettled, amyloidogenesis is considered to be etiologically involved. Recent recognition of fibrillar polymorphism observed mostly from in vitro amyloidogeneses may indicate that multiple mechanisms for the amyloid fibril formation would be operated. Nucleation-dependent fibrillation is the prevalent model for assessing the s... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2855929 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2855929 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2855928&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19788855%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Mbonye UR, Song I Cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2) are ER-resident proteins that catalyze the committed step in prostanoid synthesis. COX-1 is constitutively expressed in many mammalian cells, whereas COX-2 is usually expressed inducibly and transiently. Abnormal expression of COX-2 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammation and various cancers; therefore, it is subject to tight and complex regulation. Differences in regulation of the COX enzymes at the posttranscriptional and posttranslational levels also contribute significantly to their distinct patterns of expression. Rapid degradation of COX-2 mRNA has been attributed to AU-rich elements (AREs) at its 3' UTR. Recently, microRNAs that can selectively repress COX-2 protein synthesis have been identifie... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2855928 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2855928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2855927&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19788856%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, the mechanism by which p-coumaric acid (p-CA) performs its antioxidant action was investigated in bovine aortic endothelial cells under oxidative stress due to high levels of glucose (HG) and arachidonic acid (AA), a free fatty acid. p-CA prevented lipid peroxidation and cell death due to HG+AA without affecting the production of reactive oxygen species. The antioxidant effect of p-CA was not decreased by buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine, an inhibitor of cellular GSH synthesis. In contrast, pretreatment with p-CA caused the induction of peroxidases that decomposed t-butyl hydroperoxide in a p-CA-dependent manner. Furthermore, the antioxidant effect of p-CA was significantly mitigated by methimazole, which was shown to inhibit the catalytic activity of 'p-CA peroxidases' in vitro... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2855927 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2855927 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2855926&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19788857%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wang X, Newkirk RF, Carre W, Ghose P, Igobudia B, Townsel JG, Cogburn LA Fatty acid oxidation (FAO) defects cause abnormal lipid accumulation in various tissues, which provides an opportunity to uncover novel genes that are involved in lipid metabolism. During a gene expression study in the riboflavin deficient induced FAO disorder in the chicken, we discovered the dramatic increase in mRNA levels of an uncharacterized gene, ANKRD9. No functions have been ascribed to ANKRD9 and its orthologs, although their sequences are well conserved among vertebrates. To provide insight into the function of ANKRD9, the expression of ANKRD9 mRNA in lipidperturbed paradigms was examined. The hepatic mRNA level of ANKRD9 was repressed by thyroid hormone (T(3)) and fasting, elevated by re-feedi... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2855926 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2855926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2855925&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19788858%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lee SY, Cho JY The regulatory effects of honokiol on the cellular responses of macrophages and monocytes were evaluated. Specifically, we investigated the effects of honokiol with respect to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytotoxicity, LPS- or phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA)-mediated morphological changes, and relevant events (FITC-dextran-induced phagocytic uptake). Honokiol blocked the LPS-induced cytotoxicity of RAW264.7 cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, honokiol appeared to block the production of cytotoxic cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1beta and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, nitric oxide (NO), and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, honokiol strongly prevented the morphological changes in RAW 264.7 and U937 cells that were induced by LP... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2855925 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2855925 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2855924&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19788859%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kwak GH, Choi SH, Kim JR, Kim HY Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is widely used in chemistry and biology as a solvent and as a cryoprotectant. It is also used as a pharmaceutical agent for the treatment of interstitial cystitis and rheumatoid arthritis. Previous reports described DMSO as being reduced by methionine-S-sulfoxide reductase (MsrA). However, little is known about the DMSO reduction capability of methionine-R-sulfoxide reductase (MsrB) or its effect on the catalysis of methionine sulfoxide reduction. We show that mammalian MsrB2 and MsrB3 were unable to reduce DMSO. This compound inhibited MsrB2 activity but did not inhibit MsrB3 activity. We further determined that DMSO functions as an inhibitor of MsrA and MsrB2 in the reduction of methionine sulfoxides via different in... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2855924 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2855924 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2855923&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19788860%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lee JY, Yang ST, Kim HJ, Lee SK, Jung HH, Shin SY, Kim JI The bactenecin is an antibacterial peptide with an intramolecular disulfide bond. We recently found that homodimeric bactenecin exhibits more potent antibacterial activity than the monomeric form and retains its activity at physiological conditions. Here we assess the difference in the modes of antibiotic action of homodimeric and monomeric bactenecins. Both monomeric and dimeric bactenecins almost completely killed both Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli within 10-30 min at concentrations of 8-16 muM. However, exposure to liposomes elicited an increase in the fluorescence quantum yield from a tryptophan-containing monomeric analog, while the homodimeric analog showed a significant reduction in fluorescence intensity. Mo... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2855923 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2855923 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2855922&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19788861%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhou JY, Ma WL, Liang S, Zeng Y, Shi R, Yu HL, Xiao WW, Zheng WL Cell cycle progression is regulated by both transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) emerge as a new class of small non-coding RNA regulators of cell cycle as recent evidence suggests. It is hypothesized that expression of specific miRNAs oscillates orderly along with cell cycle progression. However, the oscillated expression patterns of many candidate miRNAs have yet to be determined. Here, we describe miRNA expression profiling in double-thymidine synchronized HeLa cells as cell cycle progresses. Twenty-five differentially expressed miRNAs were classified into five groups based on their cell cycle-dependent expression patterns. The cyclic expression of six miRNAs (miR-221, let-7a,... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2855922 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2855922 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2855921&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19788862%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we have investigated the role of autophagy in selenium-induced apoptosis in NB4 cells. We find that autophagy is suppressed in NB4 cells treated by sodium selenite, as measured by electron microscope, acridine orange staining and western blot. Moreover, selenite combined with autophagy inhibitor contributes to the up-regulation of apoptosis, while the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is down- regulated. Consistently, when the inhibitor of PI3K was applied, the autophagic level significantly decreased. In summary, sodium selenite increases NB4 cell apoptosis by autophagy inhibition through PI3K/Akt, and the inhibition of autophagy contributes to the up-regulation of apoptosis. [BMB reports 2009; 42(9): 599-604]. PMID: 19788862 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2855921 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2855921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2855920&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19788863%26dopt%3DAbstract In conclusion, although all athlete groups had significantly better serum lipid/lipoprotein profiles than the reference group, runners and wrestlers had the most desirable lipoprotein function and structure, including antioxidant activity, HDL-associated enzyme activities and increased particle size. [BMB reports 2009; 42(9): 605-610]. PMID: 19788863 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2855920 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2855920 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2855919&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19788864%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Islam MS, Wang MH We investigated the expression pattern of dehydration responsive element-binding protein-3 in tomato under different abiotic stresses. Full length LeDREB3 cDNA was isolated from tomato plant, followed by phylogenetic analysis based on deduced amino acid sequences that revealed significant sequence similarity to DREB proteins belonging to diverse families of plant species. Southern blot analysis showed duplicate copies of LeDREB3 in the tomato genome while organ-specific expression profiling indicated constitutive expression of LeDREB3 in all tested organs, which was particularly strong in flower. LeDREB3 expression was significantly induced by Nacl, drought, low temperature and H(2)O(2). Moreover, LeDREB3 was slightly regulated by treatment with ABA and MV. T... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2855919 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2855919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2855918&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19788865%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Park J, Kim Y, Lee C We investigated the genetic associations of ischemic stroke by identifying epistasis of its heterogeneous subtypes such as small vessel occlusion (SVO) and large artery atherosclerosis (LAA). Epistasis was analyzed with 24 genes in 207 controls and 271 patients (SVO = 110, LAA = 95) using multifactor dimensionality reduction and entropy decomposition. The multifactor dimensionality reduction analysis with any of 1- to 4-locus models showed no significant association with LAA (P > 0.05). The analysis of SVO, however, revealed a significant association in the best 3-locus model with P10L of TGF-beta1, C1013T of SPP1, and R485K of F5 (testing balanced accuracy = 63.17%, P < 0.05). Subsequent entropy analysis also revealed that such heterogeneity was pre... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2855918 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2855918 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2745757&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19712581%26dopt%3DAbstract This study is a brief overview of the altered protein phosphorylation pathways found in AD. Understanding the molecular mechanisms by which the activities of protein kinases and phosphatases are altered as well as the phosphorylation events in AD can potentially reveal novel insights into the role aberrant phosphorylation plays in the pathogenesis of AD, providing support for protein phosphorylation as a potential treatment strategy for AD. [BMB reports 2009; 42(8): 467- 474]. PMID: 19712581 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2745757 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:54:33 +0100 2745757 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2745756&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19712582%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Monte SM Emerging data demonstrate pivotal roles for brain insulin resistance and insulin deficiency as mediators of cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD). Insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) regulate neuronal survival, energy metabolism, and plasticity, which are required for learning and memory. Hence, endogenous brain-specific impairments in insulin and IGF signaling account for the majority of AD-associated abnormalities. However, a second major mechanism of cognitive impairment has been linked to obesity and Type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Human and experimental animal studies revealed that neurodegeneration associated with peripheral insulin resistance is likely effectuated via a liver-brain axis whereby toxic lipids, includ... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2745756 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:54:30 +0100 2745756 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2745755&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19712583%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kim JY, Kim KH, Lee YJ, Lee SH, Park JC, Nam DH The effect of water dropwort (Oenanthe javanica DC) extract in eliminating ethanol was evaluated in New Zealand white rabbit and ICR mice. When a hot-water extract of water dropwort extract and ethanol was injected into New Zealand white rabbit, the plasma ethanol level was rapidly reduced, similar to metadoxine treatment. Specifically, the n-butanol fraction of hot-water extract was the strongest in eliminating plasma alcohol in ICR mice. When ethanol was orally ingested, administration of the hot-water extract eliminated up to 44% of the plasma ethanol in mice while the n-butanol fraction eliminated around 70%. Alcohol removal behaved in a dose-dependent manner in response to 50-200 mg/kg of n-butanol fraction. These data show ... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2745755 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:54:27 +0100 2745755 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2745754&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19712584%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhang Y, Chen C, Jin XF, Xiong AS, Peng RH, Hong YH, Yao QH, Chen JM OsDREB1D, a special DREB (dehydration responsive element binding protein) homologous gene, whose transcripts cannot be detected in rice (Oryza sativa L), either with or without stress treatments, was amplified from the rice genome DNA. The yeast one-hybrid assay revealed that OsDREB1D was able to form a complex with the dehydration responsive element/C-repeat motif. It can also bind with a sequence of LTRE (low temperature responsive element). To analyze the function of OsDREB1D, the gene was transformed and over-expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana cv. Columbia. Results indicated that the over-expression of OsDREB1D conferred cold and high-salt tolerance in transgenic plants, and that transgenic plants were als... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2745754 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:54:25 +0100 2745754 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2745753&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19712585%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bianchi N, Zuccato C, Lampronti I, Borgatti M, Gambari R MicroRNAs (miRs) are a family of small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression by targeting mRNAs in a sequence specific manner, inducing translational repression or mRNA degradation. In this paper we have first analyzed by microarray the miR-profile in erythroid precursor cells from one normal and two thalassemic patients expressing different levels of fetal hemoglobin (one of them displaying HPFH phenotype). The microarray data were confirmed by RT-PCR analysis, and allowed us to identify miR-210 as an highly expressed miR in the erythroid precursor cells from the HPFH patient. When RT-PCR was performed on mithramycin-induced K562 cells and erythroid precursor cells, miR-210 was found to be induced in time-depende... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2745753 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:54:23 +0100 2745753 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2745752&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19712586%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Park BJ, Lim YS, Lee HJ, Eum WS, Park J, Han KH, Choi SY, Lee KS Anti-oxidative effect of Phellinus linteus (P. linteus) and red ginseng extracts on DNA damage induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) were investigated in this study. P. linteus (PLE) and red ginseng extracts (RGE) inhibited the breaking of E. coli ColE1 plasmid DNA strands as well as nuclear DNA of rat hepatocytes damaged by oxidative stress. In addition, a reaction mixture of PLE and RGE showed synergistic inhibitory effect against DNA damage. These results suggest that PLE and RGE have a cellular defensive effect against DNA damage induced by ROS. [BMB reports 2009; 42(8): 500-505]. PMID: 19712586 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2745752 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:54:20 +0100 2745752 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2745751&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19712587%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lee H, Kwon HM, Park JW, Kurokawa K, Lee BL The Toll signalling pathway in invertebrates is responsible for defense against Gram-positive bacteria and fungi, leading to the expression of antimicrobial peptides via NF-kappaB-like transcription factors. Gram-negative binding protein 3 (GNBP3) detects beta-1,3-glucan, a fungal cell wall component, and activates a three step serine protease cascade for activation of the Toll signalling pathway. Here, we showed that the recombinant N-terminal domain of Tenebrio molitor GNBP3 bound to beta-1,3-glucan, but did not activate down-stream serine protease cascade in vitro. Reversely, the N-terminal domain blocked GNBP3-mediated serine protease cascade activation in vitro and also inhibited beta-1,3-glucan-mediated antimicrobial peptide in... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2745751 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:54:17 +0100 2745751 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2745750&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19712588%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Park SY, Shin JN, Woo HN, Piya S, Moon AR, Seo YW, Seol DW, Kim TH Downstream of Bid (DOBI) known as Pus10, has been identified as a modulator of TRAIL-induced cell death using RNAi library screening. The crystal structure of DOBI has revealed that it is a crescent-shaped protein containing the pseudouridine synthase catalytic domain and a THUMP-containing domain. Here, we demonstrated that DOBI is expressed in various tissues such as heart and lung, and is also expressed in various tumor cells such as HeLa and A549. Although ectopic expression of DOBI does not promote TRAIL death signaling in HeLa cells, knock-down of DOBI expression using shRNA inhibited TRAIL death signaling. DOBI is cleaved into a 54 kD cleaved DOBI during cell death, and the recombinant DOBI protein can b... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2745750 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:54:15 +0100 2745750 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2745749&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19712589%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study we investigated the function of SH2D4A in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells using interaction analysis, cell proliferation assays, and kinase activity detection. SH2D4A was found to directly bind to estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha), and prevent the recruitment of phospholipase C-gamma (PLC-gamma) to ERalpha. Moreover, we observed its inhibitory effects on estrogen-induced cell proliferation, involving the protein kinase C (PKC) signaling pathway. Together, these findings suggested that SH2D4A inhibited cell proliferation by suppression of the ERalpha/PLC-gamma/PKC signaling pathway. SH2D4A may be useful for the development of a new anti-cancer drug acting as an ER signaling modulator. [BMB reports 2009; 42(8): 516-522]. PMID: 19712589 [PubMed - in process] (Source: ... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2745749 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:54:13 +0100 2745749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2745748&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19712590%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Tran ST, Le DT, Kim YC, Shin M, Choi JD Phosphomannose isomerase (PMI) catalyzes the interconversion of fructose-6-phosphate and mannose-6-phosphate in the extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) synthesis pathway. The gene encoding PMI in Sphingomonas chungbukensis DJ77 was cloned and expressed in E. coli. The pmi gene is 1,410 nucleotides long and the deduced amino acid sequence shares high homology with other bifunctional proteins that possess both PMI and GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase (GMP) activities. The sequence analysis of PMI revealed two domains with three conserved motifs: a GMP domain at the N-terminus and a PMI domain at the C-terminus. Enzyme assays using the PMI protein confirmed its bifunctional activity. Both activities required divalent metal ions such as Co(2+), ... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2745748 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:54:09 +0100 2745748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2745747&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19712591%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we investigated the association between genetic polymorphisms of the adipose differentiation-related protein gene (ADFP) and carcass traits in Korean cattle (also known as Hanwoo). Using direct DNA sequencing in 24 unrelated Korean cattle, 25 novel polymorphisms were identified within all exons and their flanking regions of ADFP, including the promoter region (1.5 kb). Among them, 21 polymorphic sites were selected for genotyping in the beef cattle (n = 425). Statistical analyses revealed that one promoter polymorphism (c.-56-18A > G) was associated with MS (P = 0.009). The "A" allele of c.-56-18A > G exerted a lowering effect on MS, e.g., the lowest MS was found in "A/A" (MS = 2.09 +/- 1.23), intermediate in "A/G" (MS = 2.11 +/- 1.31), and the highest in "G/G" (MS = 2... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2745747 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:54:07 +0100 2745747 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2745746&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19712592%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jang SH, Kang KS, Ryu PD, Lee SY Voltage-gated K(+) (Kv) channels are widely expressed in the plasma membranes of numerous cells such as epithelial cells. Recently, it has been demonstrated that Kv channels are associated with the proliferation of several types of cancer cells. Specifically, Kv1.3 seems to be involved in cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis. In the present study, we examined the expression of Kv1.3 in immortalized and tumorigenic human mammary epithelial cells. We also evaluated the expression level of Kv1.3 in each stage of breast cancer using mRNA isolated from breast cancer patients. In addition, treatment with tetraethylammonium, a Kv channel blocker, suppressed tumorigenic human mammary epithelial cell proliferation. Therefore, Kv1.3 may serve as a nov... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2745746 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:54:04 +0100 2745746 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2662890&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19643035%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cho KH High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is a proven biomarker for the monitoring of changes in antioxidant and anti-inflammation capability of body fluids. The beneficial virtues of HDL are highly dependent on its lipids and protein compositions, and their ratios. In normal state, the HDL particle is enriched with lipids and several HDL-associated enzymes, which are responsible for its antioxidant activity. Lower HDL-cholesterol levels (40 mg/dL) have been recognized as an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease, as well as being a known component of metabolic syndrome. Functional and structural changes of HDL have been recognized as factors pivotal to the evaluation of HDL-quality. In this review, I have elected to focus on the functional and structural correlations... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2662890 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2662890 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2662889&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19643036%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lee SH, Blair IA We have developed a targeted lipidomics approach that makes it possible to directly analyze chiral eicosanoid lipids generated in cellular systems. The eicosanoids, including prostaglandins (PGs), thromboxanes (TXs), leukotrienes (LTs) and alcohols (HETEs), have been implicated as potent lipid mediators of various biological processes. Enzymatic formations of eicosanoids are regioselective and enantioselective, whereas reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated formation proceeds with no stereoselectivity. To distinguish between enzymatic and non-enzymatic pathways of eicosanoid formation, it is necessary to resolve enantiomeric forms as well as regioisomers. High sensitivity is also required to analyze the eicosanoid lipids that are usually present as trace amoun... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2662889 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2662889 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2662888&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19643037%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kim DH, Lee SH, Nam KH, Chi SW, Chang I, Han KH Transcriptional activation domain (TAD) in virion protein 16 (VP16) of herpes simplex virus does not have any globular structure, yet exhibits a potent transcriptional activity. In order to probe the structural basis for the transcriptional activity of VP16 TAD, we have used NMR spectroscopy to investigate its detailed structural features. Results show that an unbound VP16 TAD is not merely "unstructured" but contains four short motifs (residues 424-433, 442-446, 465-467 and 472-479) with transient structural order. Pre-structured motifs in other intrinsically unfolded proteins (IUPs) were shown to be critically involved in target protein binding. The 472-479 motif was previously shown to bind to hTAF(II)31, whereas the hTAF(II)3... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2662888 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2662888 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2662887&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19643038%26dopt%3DAbstract We describe a method for producing polyclonal antibodies against peptide antigen cytochrome P450 1A2 and 3A4 using a tandem repeat of the epitope region and incorporation of proline residue between the repeated sequences. An ELISA assay revealed more efficient generation of polyclonal antibodies to tandem repeat peptide antigens than mono-epitope peptides. The incorporation of proline residues further stimulated antibody production. [BMB reports 2009; 42(7): 418-420]. PMID: 19643038 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2662887 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2662887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2662886&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19643039%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lim JA, Kim SH Glucocorticoids regulate multiple physiological processes such as metabolic homeostasis and immune response. Mouse Pon2 (mPon2) acts as an antioxidant to reduce cellular oxidative stress in cells. In this present study, we investigated the transcriptional regulation of mPon2 by glucocorticoids. In the presence of glucocorticoid analogue dexamethasone, the expression of mPon2 mRNA in cells was increased, whereas the expression was inhibited by a transcription inhibitor actinomycin D. Glucocorticoid receptors bound to the putative glucocorticoid response elements located between -593 bp and -575 bp of the mPon2 promoter. Transcriptional activity was completely blocked when the putative element was mutated. Taken together, these results suggest that the expression ... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2662886 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2662886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2662885&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19643040%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we used DNA microarray and real-time RT-PCR to identify genes in human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells that undergo significant changes in expression in response to static tensional forces (2 or 12 hours). The genes found were alkaline phospatase (ALP), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and several collagen genes. Furthermore, an ELISA evaluating the expression of VEGF, type IV collagen and MMP-2 found levels significantly increased after 24 and 72 hours (P 0.05). ALP activity was also increased after 24 hours (P 0.05). Collectively, we found the genes up-regulated in our study by the static tensional force are related to osteogenic processes such as matrix synthesis and angiogenesis. [BMB reports 2009; 42(7): 427-432]. PMID: 1... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2662885 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2662885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2662884&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19643041%26dopt%3DAbstract The objective of this study was to identify proteins in the m. longissimus dorsi between early (12 months of age) and late (27 months of age) fattening stages of Hanwoo (Korean cattle) steers. Using two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, 8 proteins of 11 differentially expressed spots between the 12 and 27 month age groups were identified in the loin muscle. Among those that were differentially expressed, zinc finger 323 and myosin light chain were highly expressed in late-fattening stage, and two catabolic enzymes, triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) were expressed more in the early versus the late-fattening stage. In particular, the quantification of TPI and SDH by immunoblotting correlated well with fat content. Our data suggested that TPI a... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2662884 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2662884 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2662883&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19643042%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bae EK, Lee H, Lee JS, Noh EW Dehydrins are group II, late embryogenesis abundant proteins that act putatively as chaperones in stressed plants. To elucidate the function of dehydrins in poplar, we isolated the SK(2)-type dehydrin gene Podhn from Populus alba x P. tremula var. glandulosa suspension cells and analyzed its expression following treatments of abiotic stress, wounding and plant growth regulator. Sequence homology and phylogenetic analyses indicate Podhn encodes an acidic dehydrin (pI 5.14, 277 amino acids, predicted size 25.6 kDa) containing two lysine-rich "K-segments" and a 7-serine residue "S-segment", both characteristic of SK(2)-type dehydrins. Southern blots show Podhn genes form a small gene family in poplar. Podhn was expressed in all tissues examined under... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2662883 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2662883 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2662882&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19643043%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wang X, Dong CF, Shi Q, Shi S, Wang GR, Lei YJ, Xu K, An R, Chen JM, Jiang HY, Tian C, Gao C, Zhao YJ, Han J, Dong XP Different neurodegenerative disorders like prion disease, is caused by protein misfolding conformers. Reverse-transfected cytosolic prion protein (PrP) and PrP expressed in the cytosol have been shown to be neurotoxic. To investigate the possible mechanism of neurotoxicity due to accumulation of PrP in cytosol, a PrP mutant lacking the signal and GPI (CytoPrP) was introduced into the SH-SY5Y cell. MTT and trypan blue assays indicated that the viability of cells expressing CytoPrP was remarkably reduced after treatment of MG-132. Obvious apoptosis phenomena were detected in the cells accumulated with CytoPrP, including loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potenti... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2662882 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2662882 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2662881&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19643044%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hou DY, Xu H, Du GY, Lin JT, Duan M, Guo AG The "stage albinism line of winter wheat" FA85 was a specific natural mutant strain on leaf color. This physiological mutation was controlled by cytogene. In order to reveal the genetic and biochemical mechanism of albinism, 2-DE was used to investigate the difference of chloroplast protein expression pattern between FA85 and its parent wheat Aibian 1. From the results of 2-DE gels analysis, approximately 683 spots were detected on each gel, and 57 spots were expressed differently at least two-fold. Using MALDI-TOF/TOF MS, 14 of 57 spots were identified, which could be categorized into four classes: carbon metabolism, energy metabolism, defense/stress response and signal transduction. Compared with the parent wheat, the expression of... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2662881 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2662881 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2662880&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19643045%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kim JJ, Kim YH, Lee MY Proteomic analyses of differentially expressed proteins in rat retinal ganglion cells (RGC-5) following S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), an NO donor, treatment were conducted. Of the approximately 314 protein spots that were detected, 19 were differentially expressed in response to treatment with GSNO. Of these, 14 proteins were up-regulated and 5 were down- regulated. Notably, an increase in GAPDH expression following GSNO treatment was detected in RGC-5 cells through Western blotting as well as proteomics. The increased GAPDH expression in response to GSNO treatment was accompanied by an increase in Herc6 protein, an E3 ubiquitin ligase. Moreover, GSNO treatment resulted in the translocation of GADPH from the cytosol to the nucleus and its subsequent accum... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2662880 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2662880 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2662879&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19643046%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jang H, Kim HS, Moon SC, Lee YR, Yu KY, Lee BK, Youn HZ, Jeong YJ, Kim BS, Lee SH, Kim JS Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), found in the outer membrane of Gram negative bacteria, only exerts its toxic effects when in free form. LPS has three major parts, lipid A, the toxic component, along with a core polysaccharide and O-specific polysaccharide. LPS monomers are known to have molecular masses between 10 to 30 kDa. Under physiological conditions, LPS exists in equilibrium between monomer and vesicle forms. LPS removal by 100 kDa ultrafiltration was more efficient (99.6% of LPS removed) with a low concentration of protein (2.0 mg/ml) compared to a high concentration (20.1 mg/ml). In the presence of different detergents (0.5% Tween 20, 1.0% taurodeoxycholate and 1.0% Triton X-100), LPS ... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2662879 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2662879 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2556674&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19558788%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gondo Y, Fukumura R, Murata T, Makino S In order to elucidate ultimate biological function of the genome, the model animal system carrying mutations is indispensable. Recently, large-scale mutagenesis projects have been launched in various species. Especially, the mouse is considered to be an ideal model to human because it is a mammalian species accompanied with well-established genetic as well as embryonic technologies. In 1990's, large-scale mouse mutagenesis projects firstly initiated with a potent chemical mutagen, N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) by the phenotype-driven approach or forward genetics. The knockout mouse mutagenesis projects with trapping/conditional mutagenesis have then followed as Phase II since 2006 by the gene-driven approach or reverse genetics. Recently, ... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2556674 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2556674 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2556673&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19558789%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lee JA Autophagy is a bulk lysosomal degradation process important in development, differentiation and cellular homeostasis in multiple organs. Interestingly, neuronal survival is highly dependent on autophagy due to its post-mitotic nature, polarized morphology and active protein trafficking. A growing body of evidence now suggests that alteration or dysfunction of autophagy causes accumulation of abnormal proteins and/or damaged organelles, thereby leading to neurodegenerative disease. Although autophagy generally prevents neuronal cell death, it plays a protective or detrimental role in neurodegenerative disease depending on the environment. In this review, the two sides of autophagy will be discussed in the context of several neurodegenerative diseases. [BMB reports 2009; ... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2556673 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2556673 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2556671&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19558791%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we revealed that tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a potential negative regulator of adipocyte differentiation, inhibits porcine adipogenesis through activation of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. Under the optimal concentration of TNF-alpha, the intracellular beta-catenin protein was stabilized. Thus, the intracellular lipid accumulation of porcine preadipocyte was suppressed and the expression of important adipocyte marker genes, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-alpha (C/EBPalpha), were inhibited. However, a loss of beta-catenin in porcine preadipocytes enhanced the adipogenic differentiation and attenuated TNF-alpha induced anti-adipogenesis. Taken together, this study indicated that T... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2556671 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2556671 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2556670&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19558792%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Xu Y, Zhang SZ, Huang CH, Liu XY, Zhong ZH, Hou WL, Su ZF, Wei YQ Angiogenesis is crucial for solid tumor growth. By secreting angiogenic factors, tumor cells induce angiogenesis. However, targeting these angiogenic factors for cancer therapy is not always successful, suggesting that other factors may be involved in tumor angiogenesis. This work shows that 25 protein spots were differentially expressed by two-dimensional gel electrophoretic analysis when HepG2 cells induced endothelial cell differentiation to tube in vitro, and most of them were upregulated. Twenty-one proteins were identified with MALDITOF-MS, and the other four were identified by LTQ-MS/MS. Keratins were identified as one class of these upregulated proteins. Further study indicated that the expression of ker... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2556670 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2556670 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2556669&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19558793%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ahn KJ, Kim J, Yun M, Park JH, Lee JD Although previous studies on hexokinase (HK) II indicate both the N- and C-terminal halves are catalytically active, we show in this study the N-terminal half is significantly more catalytic than the C-terminal half in addition to having a significantly higher Km for ATP and Glu. Furthermore, truncated forms of intact HK II lacking its first N-terminal 18 amino acids (Delta18) and a truncated N-terminal half lacking its first 18 amino acids (Delta18N) have higher catalytic activity than other mutants tested. Similar results were obtained by PET-scan analysis using (18)FFDG. Our results collectively suggest that each domain of HK II possesses enzyme activity, unlike HK I, with the N-terminal half showing higher enzyme activity than the C-te... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2556669 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2556669 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2556668&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19558794%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Agarwal SM, Srivastava PK In the present study we have examined human-mouse homologous intronless disease and non-disease genes alongside their extent of sequence conservation, tissue expression, domain and gene ontology composition to get an idea regarding evolutionary and functional attributes. We show that selection has significantly discriminated between the two groups and the disease associated genes in particular exhibit lower K(a) and K(a)/K(s) while K(s) although smaller is not significantly different. Our analyses suggest that majority of disease related intronless human genes have homology limited to eukaryotic genomes and their expression is localized. Also we observed that different classes of intronless disease related genes have experienced diverse selective pres... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2556668 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2556668 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2556667&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19558795%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we showed that 20 muM sodium selenite could alter subcellular distribution of MnSOD, namely a decrease in mitochondria and an increase in cytosol. The alteration of subcellular distribution of MnSOD is dependent on the production of superoxide induced by sodium selenite. [BMB reports 2009; 42(6): 361-366]. PMID: 19558795 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2556667 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2556667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2556666&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19558796%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we showed that WAX9D, a nonspecific lipid-transfer protein found in broccoli, binds palmitate (C16) and stearate (C18) with dissociation constants of 0.56 muM and 0.52 muM, respectively. WAX9D was fused to thioredoxin protein by genetic manipulation to enhance its solubility. The data revealed strong interaction of Trx-WAX9D with palmitate and stearate. The dissociation constants of Trx-WAX9D for palmitate and stearate were 1.1 muM and 6.4 muM, respectively. The calculated number of binding sites for palmitate and stearate was 2.5 to 2.7, indicating that Trx-WAX9D can bind three molecules of fatty acids. Additionally, Trx-WAX9D was shown to inhibit the apoptotic effect of palmitate in endothelial cells. Our data using Trx-WAX9D provide insight into the broad spectrum of its ... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2556666 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2556666 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2556665&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19558797%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cui S, Kim YH, Jin CH, Kim SK, Rhee MH, Kwon OS, Moon BJ 5-Hydroxyuridine (5-OHU) is a major lesion of uridine and cytosine produced in RNA by various chemical oxidants. To elucidate its biochemical and biophysical effects on RNA replication, the site-specifically modified oligoribonucleotides containing 5-OHU were synthesized with C5-hydroxy-5'-ODMTr-2'-TBDMS-uridine phosphoramidite using automated solid phase synthesis. The base-pairing properties of nucleotides opposite 5-OHU in 24 mer oligoribonulcleotides with dNTP were studied using three reverse transcriptases (Super-Script(TM)II-, AMV-, MMLV-RT) in cDNA synthesis. Adenine as well as guanine was incorporated preferentially by all reverse transcriptases. In the UV-melting temperature experiment, the results from the rela... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2556665 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2556665 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2556664&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19558798%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of NSA9 in human prothrombin- and kringle-2-stimulated EOC2 microglia. Treatment with 20-100 muM of NSA9 attenuated both prothrombin- and kringle-2-induced microglial activation. NO production induced by MAPKs and NF-kappaB was similarly reduced by inhibitors of ERK (PD98059), p38 (SB203580), NF-kappaB (N-acetylcysteine), and NSA9. These results suggest that NSA9 acts independently as an inhibitor of microglial activation and that its effects in EOC2 microglia are not influenced by the presence of kringle-2. [BMB reports 2009; 42(6): 380-386]. PMID: 19558798 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2556664 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2556664 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2556663&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19558799%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sim DW, Lee YS, Kim JH, Seo MD, Lee BJ, Won HS Here, we report the first biochemical and structural characterization of the hypothetical protein HP0902 from Helicobacter pylori, in terms of structural genomics. Gel-permeation chromatography and dynamic light scattering indicated that the protein behaves as a dimer in solution. Circular dichroism spectroscopy showed that HP0902 primarily adopts a beta-structure and the protein was highly thermostable with a denaturing temperature higher than 70 degrees C. Finally, the backbone NMR assignments were obtained on the [(13)C,(15)N]HP0902 and the secondary structure was determined using the chemical shift data. Additionally, the local flexibility was assessed via a heteronuclear (1)H-(15)N steady state NOE experiment. The results rev... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2556663 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2556663 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2556672&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19558790%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Yang Y, Chen L, Pan HZ, Kou Y, Xu CM We investigate the correlation between the glycosylation modified prion proteins and apoptosis. The wild-type PRNP gene and four PRNP gene glycosylated mutants were transiently expressed in HeLa cells. The effect of apoptosis induced by PrP mutants was confirmed by MTT assay, Hochest staining, Annexin-V staining and PI staining. ROS test detected ROS generation within the cells. The mitochondrial membrane potential was analyzed by the flow cytometry. The expression levels of Bcl-xL, Bax, cleaved Caspase-9 proteins were analyzed by Western Blot. The results indicated that the expressed non-glycosylated PrP in HeLa cells obviously induced apoptosis, inhibited the growth of cells and reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential, and more ROS g... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2556672 Sun, 31 May 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2556672 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546293&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19470236%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lee E, Son H New neurons are continually generated in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus and in the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles of the adult brain. These neurons proliferate, differentiate, and become integrated into neuronal circuits, but how they are involved in brain function remains unknown. A deficit of adult hippocampal neurogenesis leads to defective spatial learning and memory, and the hippocampi in neuropsychiatric diseases show altered neurogenic patterns. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is not only affected by external stimuli but also regulated by internal growth factors including BDNF, VEGF and IGF-1. These factors are implicated in a broad spectrum of pathophysiological changes in the human brain. Elucidation of the roles of such neurotrop... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546293 Sat, 30 May 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546293 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546292&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19470237%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Johnson MA, Ables JL, Eisch AJ The process by which adult neural stem cells generate new and functionally integrated neurons in the adult mammalian brain has been intensely studied, but much more remains to be discovered. It is known that neural progenitors progress through distinct stages to become mature neurons, and this progression is tightly controlled by cell-cell interactions and signals in the neurogenic niche. However, less is known about the cell-intrinsic signaling required for proper progression through stages of adult neurogenesis. Techniques have recently been developed to manipulate genes specifically in adult neural stem cells and progenitors in vivo, such as the use of inducible transgenic mice and viral-mediated gene transduction. A critical mass of publicati... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546292 Sat, 30 May 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546292 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546291&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19470238%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jang SH, Kim H, Cho KH, Shin HC Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) exhibits cytotoxicity towards various tumor cells in vitro and induces apoptotic necrosis in transplanted tumors in vivo. It also shows severe toxicity when used systemically for the treatment of cancer patients, hampering the development of TNF-alpha as a potential anticancer drug. In order to understand the structure-function relation of TNF-alpha with respect to receptor binding, we selected four regions on the bottom of the TNF-alpha trimer that are in close contact with the receptor and carried out mutagenesis studies and computational modeling. From the study, various TNF-alpha muteins with a high therapeutic index were identified. These results will provide a structural basis for the design of highl... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546291 Sat, 30 May 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546291 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546290&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19470239%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we demonstrated that several flavonoids, including kaempferol, quercetin, fisetin, and chrysin block TNF-alpha induced IL-8 promoter activation and gene expression in HEK 293 cells. In addition, phosphorylation and degradation of IkappaBalpha and translocation of NF-kappaB p65 were inhibited by these flavonoids in TNF-alpha-stimulated HEK 293 cells. Furthermore, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in response to TNF-alpha was reduced by the flavonoids. Moreover, although pretreatment with fisetin, quercetin, or chrysin decreased cell viability, kaempferol did not. Taken together, these findings suggest that kaempferol would be useful for the treatment of TNF-alpha-induced inflammatory diseases. PMID: 19470239 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546290 Sat, 30 May 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546290 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546289&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19470240%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kim SH, Song WK, Kim YH, Kwon SY, Lee HS, Lee IC, Kwak SS Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L). Lam.) is relatively tolerant to unfavorable growth conditions such as drought, yet has not been exploited to provide a better understanding of the molecular basis of drought stress tolerance. We obtained 983 high-quality expressed sequence tags of 100 bp or longer (average length of 700 bp) from cDNA libraries of detached white fibrous root tissues by subjecting them to dehydration for 6 h. The 431 cDNAs were each assigned a function by alignment using the BLASTX algorithm. Among them, three genes associated with various abiotic stresses and nine genes not previously associated with drought stress were selected for expression pattern analysis through detailed reverse transcription-polym... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546289 Sat, 30 May 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546289 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546288&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19470241%26dopt%3DAbstract We examined the effects of polysaccharides extracted from Asterina pectinifera on the activities of quinone reductase (QR), glutathione S-transferase (GST), ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and glutathione (GSH) levels in HT-29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells. We found that the polysaccharides extract induced QR activity in a dose-dependent manner over a concentration range of 20 approximately 60 microg/ml and increased GST activity as much as 1.4-fold over controls. GSH levels were increased 1.3- and 1.5-fold with the extract at 40 and 60 microg/ml, respectively. The activity and protein expression of ODC in 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced colon cancer cells was inhibited by the extract. The polysaccharides suppressed TPA-induced prostaglandin (PG)... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546288 Sat, 30 May 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546288 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546287&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19470242%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lee JR, Kim SY, Chae HB, Jung JH, Lee SY Peroxisomes play an important role in cellular defense systems and generate secondary messengers for cellular communication. Saccharomyces cerevisiae containing oleate-induced peroxisomes were subjected to buffer-soluble extraction and two chromatographic procedures, and a protein with antifungal activity was isolated. The results of MALDI-TOF analysis identified the isolated protein as peroxisomal 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase (ScFox3). Purified yeast ScFox3 exhibited thiolase activity that catalyzed the thiolytic cleavage of 3-ketoacyl-CoA to acetyl-CoA and acyl-CoA. ScFox3 protein inhibited various pathogenic fungal strains, with the exception of Aspergillus flavus. Using ScFox3-GFP and PTS2 signal-truncated ScFox3M-GFP, we showed that onl... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546287 Sat, 30 May 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546287 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546286&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19470243%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, an ADI gene was fused with an HIV-1 Tat peptide in a bacterial expression vector to produce an genetic in-frame Tat-ADI fusion protein. When added exogenously to the culture media, the expressed and purified Tat-ADI fusion proteins were efficiently transduced into macrophage Raw 264.7 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, transduced Tat-ADI fusion proteins markedly increased cell viability in cells treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). This increase in viability was mediated by an inhibition of NO production. These results suggest that this Tat-ADI fusion protein can be used in protein therapies of NO-related disorders such as cancer, inflammation and neuronal diseases. PMID: 19470243 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546286 Sat, 30 May 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546286 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546285&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19470244%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bandhu A, Ganguly T, Chanda PK, Das M, Jana B, Chakrabarti G, Sau S Temperate mycobacteriophage L1 encodes an unusual repressor (CI) for regulating its lytic-lysogenic switching and, in contrast to the repressors of most temperate phages, it binds to multiple asymmetric operator DNAs. Here, ions like Na(+), Cl(-), and acetate(-) ions were demonstrated to facilitate the optimal binding of CI to cognate operator DNA, whereas K(+), Li(+), NH4(+), Mg(2+), carbonate(2-), and citrate(3-) ions significantly affected its operator binding activity. Of these ions, Mg(2+) unfolded CI most severely at room temperature and, compared to Mg(2+), Na(+) provided improved thermal stability to CI. Furthermore, the intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence of CI was changed notably upon replacing Na(+) w... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546285 Sat, 30 May 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546285 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546283&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19470245%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we use promoter analysis to show that interaction between Jab1 and p53 induces suppression of p53 activation in U2OS and H1299 cells. Interaction between p53 and Jab1 was further confirmed by immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescent analyses. In particular, Jab1 was able to induce nuclear export of p53 as previously reported. When Jab1 was overexpressed in U2OS cells followed by etoposide or hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), cell death induced by such stresses was protected against. On the contrary, when the level of Jab1 was suppressed in U2OS cells, cytotoxicity imposed by etoposide and H(2)O(2) was dramatically increased, suggesting a cell protective role for Jab1. These results indicate that Jab1 is a negative regulator of p53 and a plausible oncogene. PMID: 19470245 [P... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546283 Sat, 30 May 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546283 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546281&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19470246%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kim YJ, Kim D, Lee Y, Choi SY, Park J, Lee SY, Park JW, Kwon HJ Nanoparticulate platinum (II) (nano Pt) is a powerful antioxidant that is widely used to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS). The antioxidant activity of nano Pt has gained attention as a potentially useful therapeutic for a variety of diseases including cancer and aging. In the present study, we prepared nanoparticulate saponin-Pt (II) (nano saponin-Pt) conjugates using the ethanol reduction method to enhance the permeability and retention effect of Pt. The nano saponin-Pt conjugates were found to restore the viability of approximately 40% of 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB)-treated RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, we found that nano saponin-Pt conjugates acted as a potent antioxidant that reduced the production o... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546281 Sat, 30 May 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546281 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546279&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19470247%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Shin IS, Ishii S, Shin JS, Sung KI, Park BS, Jang HY, Kim BW Globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) and globotetraosylceramide (Gb4) are the proposed functional receptors for Shiga toxin (Stx). To elucidate the effect of Gb3 content on Stx-induced cytotoxicity in HeLa cells, we cloned HeLa cells and determined the correlation between glycolipids content and Stx-induced cytotoxicity. The 29 HeLa cell clone (HLCC) lines used showed a wide range of sensitivity to Stx, compared to Gb3-rich cells which were more sensitive, showing as little as 20% viability to 100 pg/ml Stx. In contrast, Gb3-deficient cells proved resistant as they were more than 80% viable to 100 ng/ml Stx. Gb3 content in the HLCC lines corresponded with Stxs-induced cytotoxicity as well as Gb3 synthase expression, but no co... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546279 Sat, 30 May 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546279 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546303&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19403039%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Shen H Transcripts contain introns that are usually removed from premessenger RNA (MRNA) in the process of pre-mRNA splicing. After splicing, the mature RNA is exported from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. The splicing and export processes are coupled. UAP56 protein, which is ubiquitously present in organisms from yeasts to humans, is a DExD/H-box family RNA helicase that is an essential splicing factor with various functions in the prespliceosome assembly and mature spliceosome assembly. Collective evidence indicates that UAP56 has an essential role in mRNA nuclear export. This mini-review summarizes recent evidence for the role of UAP56 in pre-mRNA splicing and nuclear export. PMID: 19403039 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546303 Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546303 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546302&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19403040%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Evans I, Kim MY During development lymphoid tissue inducer (LTi) cells are the first hematopoietic cells to enter the secondary lymphoid anlagen and induce lymphoid tissue neogenesis. LTi cells induce lymphoid tissue neogensis by expressing a wide range of proteins that are associated with lymphoid organogenesis. Among these proteins, membrane-bound lymphotoxin (LT) alpha1beta2 has been identified as a critical component to this process. LTalpha1beta2 interacts with the LTbeta-receptor on stromal cells and this interaction induces up-regulation of adhesion molecules and production of chemokines that are necessary for the attraction, retention and organization of other cell types. Constitutive expression of LTalpha1beta2 in adult LTi cells can result in the formation of a lymph... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546302 Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546302 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546301&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19403041%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kim EJ, Lee HI, Chung KJ, Noh YH, Ro Y, Koo JH The effects of the ginsenoside Rb2 (Rb2) on lipid metabolism were characterized in 3T3-L1 adipocytes to evaluate their utility for treating obesity. While the amounts of total cholesterol and triacylglycerol (TAG) were markedly increased in the adipocytes treated with high amounts of cholesterol and fetal bovine serum (FBS), the test groups treated with Rb2 showed levels that were close to normal. The effect of Rb2 on these cells was comparable to that of lovastatin. Rb2 enhanced the expression of the sterol regulated element binding protein (SREBP) mRNA whereas treatment with cholesterol and FBS led to a reduction in the abundance of this transcript. The activity of fatty acid synthetase (FAS) was lower in the cholesterol group c... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546301 Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546301 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546300&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19403042%26dopt%3DAbstract We examined whether genetic variants in TBXA2R and TBXAS1 are risk factors for cerebral infarction by genotyping 453 Korean patients with noncardiogenic cerebral infarction and 260 controls. A few, specific polymorphisms in the TBXA2R (-3372G>C, +4710T>C and 4839T>C) and TBXAS1 (+16184G>T, +141931A>T and +177729G>A) genes were chosen and investigated. Logistic regression showed the frequencies of TBXAS1+16184G>T and TBXAS1- ht3 were significantly more frequent in cerebral infarction (P=0.002, OR=2.75 and P=0.01, OR=1.57, respectively), specifically in small-artery occlusion (SAO) type of cerebral infarction (P=0.0003 and 0.005, respectively). These results suggest specific TBXAS1 gene polymorphisms may be a useful marker for development of cerebral infarction, especial... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546300 Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546300 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546299&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19403043%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kim KS, Kim HW, Chen TT, Kim YT Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) plays an essential role in the stress response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and is the precursor of biologically active peptides such as adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), beta-melanocyte-stimulation hormone (beta-MSH) and beta-endorphin. We have synthesized two different forms of POMC cDNA clones, POMC-I and POMC-II, from a pituitary cDNA library for Paralichthys olivaceus, or Japanese flounder. jfPOMC-I cDNA consists of 954bp and encodes a polypeptide of 216 amino acid residues, whereas jfPOMC-II consists of 971bp which encode a polypeptide of 194 amino acid residues. The high levels of jfPOMC-I and -II mRNAs detected in the pituitary tissue and moderate level... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546299 Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546299 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546298&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19403044%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kim DM, Chu SH, Kim S, Park YW, Kim SS The short in vivo half-life of GLP-1 prevents it from being used clinically. This short half-life occurs because GLP-1 is rapidly degraded by dipeptidyl peptidases such as DPP-IV. To overcome this obstacle, a GLP-1/Fc was constructed and evaluated to determine if it was degraded by DPP-IV and in serum. When the degradation of GLP-1/Fc by human DPP-IV and rabbit serum was compared with that of GLP-1 it was found to be reduced by approximately 5- and 4-fold, respectively. Furthermore, GLP-1/Fc showed a potent activity for human GLP-1 receptor activation (EC50 approximately 6 nM). Taken together, these results indicate that GLP-1/Fc may have an extended half-life in vivo that occurs as a result of inhibition of degradation by human DPP-IV. D... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546298 Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546298 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546297&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19403045%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Seo E, Kim S, Jho EH Controlled gene expression in specific cells is a valuable tool for gene therapy. We attempted to determine whether the lentivirus-mediated Tet-On inducible system could be applied to cancer gene therapy. In order to select the genes that induce cancer cell death, we compared the ability of the known pro-apoptotreic genes, Bax and tBid, and a cell cycle inhibitor, p21cip1/waf1, and determined that Bax was the most effective. For the cancer cell-specific expression of rtTA2(S)-M2, we tested the matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) promoter and determined that it is highly expressed in cancer cell lines, including SNU475 cells. The co-transduction of two lentiviruses that contain sequences for TRE-Bax and rtTA2(S)-M2, the expression of which is controlled by t... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546297 Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546297 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546296&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19403046%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lee SY, Joo SW, Lee S, Lim M We measured the pH-induced spectral changes of yeast iso-1-cytochrome c on silver nanoparticle surfaces using surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) at 457.9 nm. At a pH of 3, the Met80 ligand in yeast iso-1-cytochrome c is assumed to dissociate, leading to a marked conformational change as evidenced by the vibrational spectral shifts. The Soret band at 410 nm in the UV-Vis spectrum shifted to 396 nm at pH 3, indicating a transition from a low spin state to a high spin state from a weak interaction with a water molecule. Thus, SERRS spectroscopy can measure the pH-induced denaturalization of cyt c adsorbed on metal nanoparticle surfaces at a lower concentration with a better sensitivity than ordinary resonance Raman spectroscopy. P... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546296 Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546296 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546295&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19403047%26dopt%3DAbstract This study examined the role of the yeast H3/H4 histone chaperones, Asf1, HIR, and CAF-1 in chromatin dynamics during transcription. Unexpectedly, CAF-1 was recruited to the actively transcribed region in a similar way to HIR and Asf1. In addition, the three histone chaperones genetically interacted with Set2-dependent H3 K36 methylation. Similar to histone chaperones, Set2 was required for tolerance to excess histone H3 but not to excess H2A, suggesting that CAF-1, Asf1, HIR, and Set2 function in a related pathway and target chromatin during transcription. PMID: 19403047 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546295 Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546295 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2546294&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19403048%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Omura Y, Nishio Y, Takemoto T, Ikeuchi C, Sekine O, Morino K, Maeno Y, Obata T, Ugi S, Maegawa H, Kimura H, Kashiwagi A Sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1c plays a crucial role in the regulation of lipogenic enzymes in the liver. We previously reported that an X-chromosome-linked RNA binding motif (RBMX) regulates the promoter activity of Srebp-1c. However, still unknown was how it regulates the gene expression. To elucidate this mechanism, we screened the cDNA library from mouse liver by yeast two-hybrid assay using RBMX as bait and identified scaffold attachment factor B1 (SAFB1). Immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated binding of SAFB1 to RBMX. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay showed binding of both SAFB1 and RBMX to the upstream region of Srebp-1c gene. ... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2546294 Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2546294 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2323887&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19335997%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kim MY, Hur J, Jeong S Recent advances in RNA biology reveal unexpected diversity and complexity of cellular RNA metabolism. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are essential players in RNA metabolism, regulating RNA splicing, transport, surveillance, decay and translation. Aberrant expression of RBPs affects many steps of RNA metabolism, significantly altering expression of RNA. Thus, altered expression and dysfuncting of RBPs are implicated in the development of various diseases including cancer. In this minireview, we briefly describe emerging roles of RBPs as a global coordinator of post-transcriptional steps and altered RBP as a global generator of cancer related RNA alternative splicing. Identification and characterization of the RNA-RBP network would expand the scope of cellula... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2323887 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2323887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2323884&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19335998%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Corbin R, Olsson-Carter K, Slack F MicroRNAs control gene expression by inhibiting translation or promoting degradation of their target mRNAs. Since the discovery of the first microRNAs, lin-4 and let-7, in C. elegans, hundreds of microRNAs have been identified as key regulators of cell fate determination, lifespan, and cancer in species ranging from plants to humans. However, while microRNAs have been shown to be particularly abundant in the brain, their role in the development and activity of the nervous system is still largely unknown. In this review, we describe recent advances in our understanding of microRNA function at synapses, the specialized structures required for communication between neurons and their targets. We also propose how these advances might inform the mo... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2323884 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2323884 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2323882&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19335999%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: An JJ, Lee YP, Kim DW, Sohn EJ, Jeong HJ, Kang HW, Shin MJ, Kim MJ, Ahn EH, Jang SH, Kang JH, Kang TC, Won MH, Kwon OS, Cho SW, Lee KS, Park J, Eum WS, Choi SY Familial Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS) is a progressive neurodegenetative disorder induced by mutations of the SOD1 gene. Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) is well-defined as a stress-inducible protein, however the its role in ALS protection has not yet been established. To investigate the role HSP27 may have in SOD1 mutant-mediated apoptosis, human SOD1 or HSP27 genes were fused with a PEP-1 peptide in a bacterial expression vector to produce a genetic in-frame fusion protein, which was then transduced into cells. We found the purified PEP-1-HSP27 fusion proteins can be transduced efficiently into neuronal cells and... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2323882 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2323882 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2323879&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19336000%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Shanware NP, Williams LM, Bowler MJ, Tibbetts RS Small-molecule inhibitors of protein kinases have contributed immensely to our understanding of biological signaling pathways and have been exploited therapeutically for the treatment of cancers and other disease states. The pyridinyl imidazole compounds SB 203580 and SB 202190 were identified as ATP competitive antagonists of the p38 stress-activated protein kinases and have been widely used to elucidate p38-dependent cellular processes. Here, we identify SB 203580 and SB 202190 as potent inhibitors of stress-induced CREB phosphorylation on Serine 111 (Ser-111) in intact cells. Unexpectedly, we found that the inhibitory activity of SB 203580 and SB 202190 on CREB phosphorylation was independent of p38, but instead correlated wi... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2323879 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2323879 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2323876&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19336001%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kim YE, Park JA, Nam KH, Kwon HJ, Lee Y Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) is a stable anti-oxidant or pro-oxidant, depending on the situation, and it is widely used to inhibit the activation of NF-kappaB. We recently reported that PDTC activates the MIP-2 gene in a NF-kappaB-independent and c-Jun-dependent manner in macrophage cells. In this work, we found that PDTC activates signal transduction pathways in mouse ES cells. Among the three different mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways, including the extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38 MAP kinase, and stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK)/Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathways, only the ERK pathway was significantly activated in mouse ES cells after stimulation with PDTC. Additionally, we observed a syn... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2323876 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2323876 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2323874&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19336002%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhou W, Chen H, Zhang L JARID1B (jumonji AT rich interactive domain 1B) is a large nuclear protein that is highly expressed in breast cancers and is proposed to function as a repressor of gene expression. In this paper, a phage display screen using the N-terminus of JARID1B as bait identified one of the JARID1B interacting proteins, namely PcG protein (Polycomb group) hPc2. We demonstrated that the C-terminal region, including the COOH box, was required for the interaction with the N-terminus of JARID1B. In a reporter assay system, co-expression of JARID1B with hPc2 significantly enhanced the transcriptional repression. These results support a role for hPc2 acting as a transcriptional co-repressor. [BMB reports 2009; 42(3): 154-159]. PMID: 19336002 [PubMed - in process] (S... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2323874 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2323874 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2323827&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19336003%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Das M, Ganguly T, Bandhu A, Mondal R, Chanda PK, Jana B, Sau S The temperate Staphylococcus aureus phage Phi11 harbors cI and cro repressor genes similar to those of lambdoid phages. Using extremely pure Phi11 Cro (the product of the Phi11 cro gene) we demonstrated that this protein possesses a single domain structure, forms dimers in solution at micromolar concentrations and maintains a largely alpha-helical structure even at 45 degrees C. Phi11 Cro was sensitive to thermolysin at temperatures ranging from 55-75 degrees C and began to aggregate at ~63 degrees C, suggesting that the protein is moderately thermostable. Of the three homologous 15-bp operators (O1, O2, and O3) in the Phi11 cI-cro intergenic region, Phi11 Cro only binds efficiently to O3, which is located upstream... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2323827 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2323827 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2323794&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19336004%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, analytical ultracentrifugation and dynamic light scattering were used to evaluate the effect of ADP and ATP binding on the conformation of the human stress-induced Hsp70.1 protein. The results of these experiments showed that ATP had a larger effect on the conformation of Hsp70 than ADP. In agreement with previous biochemical experiments, our results suggest that conformational changes caused by nucleotide binding are a consequence of the movement in position of both nucleotide- and substrate-binding domains. [BMB reports 2009; 42(3): 166-171]. PMID: 19336004 [PubMed - in process] (Source: BMB Reports) BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2323794 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2323794 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2323791&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19336005%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Tran ST, Le DT, Kim YC, Shin M, Choi JD Phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI) is involved in synthesizing extracellular polysaccharide (EPS). The gene encoding PGI in Sphingomonas chungbukensis DJ77 was cloned and expressed in E. coli, and the protein was characterized. The pgi gene from DJ77 is 1,503 nucleotides long with 62% GC content and the deduced amino acid sequence shows strong homology with PGIs from other sources. The molecular masses of PGI subunit and native form were estimated to be 50 kDa and 97 kDa, respectively. Four potentially important residues (H361, R245, E330 and K472) were identified by homology modeling. The mutations, H361A, R245A, E330A, R245K and E330D resulted in decrease in Vmax by hundreds fold, however no significant change in Km was observed. These dat... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2323791 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2323791 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2323788&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19336006%26dopt%3DAbstract This study examined an alternative molecular approach using TYR-small interfering RNA (siRNA) to control melanogenesis in the human melanocytes. Both the mRNA and protein levels of TYR were significantly lowered by TYR-siRNA treatment, whereas TYR-related protein 1 and TYR-related protein 2 displayed no such changes. TYR-siRNA treatment inhibited the cellular melanin synthesis from the externally supplied TYR substrate L-tyrosine. TYR-siRNA also suppressed melanin synthesis and decreased the viability of cells exposed to ultraviolet radiation, supporting a critical role of melanin in protection against ultraviolet radiation. These results suggest that molecular approaches using siRNA targeted to the enzymes of melanogenic pathway may provide a novel strategy for the control of cell pigment... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2323788 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2323788 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2257611&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19250605%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dwivedi M, Ahnn J Autophagy, which is a process of self eating, has gained interest in the past decade due to its both beneficial and controversial roles in various biological phenomena. The discovery of autophagy genes (ATG) in yeast has led to focused research designed to elucidate the mechanism and regulation of this process. The role of autophagy in a variety of biological phenomena, including human disease, is still the subject of debate. However, recent findings suggest that autophagy is a highly regulated process with both beneficial and negative effects. Indeed, studies conducted using various model organisms have demonstrated that increased autophagy leads to an extended lifespan. Despite these findings, it is still unknown if all pathways leading to extended lifespan... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2257611 Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2257611 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2257610&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19250606%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Binas B In mammals, major progress has recently been made with the dissection of early embryonic cell specification, the isolation of stem cells from early embryos, and the production of embryonic-like stem cells from adult cells. These studies have overcome long-standing species barriers for stem cell isolation, have revealed a deeper than expected similarity of embryo cell types across species, and have led to a better understanding of the lineage identities of embryo-derived stem cells, most notably of mouse and human embryonic stem (ES) cells. Thus, it has now become possible to propose a species-overarching classification of embryo stem cells, which are defined here as pre- to early post-implantation conceptus-derived stem cell types that maintain embryonic lineage identi... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2257610 Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2257610 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2234912&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19250605%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dwivedi M, Ahnn J Autophagy, which is a process of self eating, has gained interest in the past decade due to its both beneficial and controversial roles in various biological phenomena. The discovery of autophagy genes (ATG) in yeast has led to focused research designed to elucidate the mechanism and regulation of this process. The role of autophagy in a variety of biological phenomena, including human disease, is still the subject of debate. However, recent findings suggest that autophagy is a highly regulated process with both beneficial and negative effects. Indeed, studies conducted using various model organisms have demonstrated that increased autophagy leads to an extended lifespan. Despite these findings, it is still unknown if all pathways leading to extended lifespan... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2234912 Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2234912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2234911&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19250606%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Binas B In mammals, major progress has recently been made with the dissection of early embryonic cell specification, the isolation of stem cells from early embryos, and the production of embryonic-like stem cells from adult cells. These studies have overcome long-standing species barriers for stem cell isolation, have revealed a deeper than expected similarity of embryo cell types across species, and have led to a better understanding of the lineage identities of embryo-derived stem cells, most notably of mouse and human embryonic stem (ES) cells. Thus, it has now become possible to propose a species-overarching classification of embryo stem cells, which are defined here as pre- to early post-implantation conceptus-derived stem cell types that maintain embryonic lineage identi... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2234911 Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2234911 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2234910&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19250607%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Han HE, Lee IS, Hwang JH, Bang HE, Kim Y, Cho SN, Kim TU, Lee HY Early and accurate detection of drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis can improve both the treatment outcome and public health control of tuberculosis. A number of molecular-based techniques have been developed including ones using probe molecules that target drug resistance-related mutations. Although these techniques are highly specific and sensitive, mixed signals can be obtained when the drug resistant isolates are mixed with drug susceptible isolates. In order to overcome this problem, we developed a new drug susceptibility test (DST) for one of the most effective anti-tuberculosis drug, isoniazid. This technique employed a microplate hybridization assay that quantified signals from each probe molecule, ... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2234910 Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2234910 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2234909&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19250608%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chae YM, Heo SH, Kim JY, Lee JM, Ryoo HM, Cho JY Deletion of smpd3 induces osteogenesis and dentinogenesis imperfecta in mice. smpd3 is highly elevated in the parietal bones of developing mouse calvaria, but not in sutural mesenchymes. Here, we examine the mechanism of smpd3 regulation, which involves BMP2 stimulation of Runx2. smpd3 mRNA expression increased in response to BMP2 treatment and Runx2 transfection in C2C12 cells. The Runx2-responsive element (RRE) encoded within the -562 to -557 region is important for activation of the smpd3 promoter by Runx2. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that Runx2 binds strongly to the -355 to -350 RRE and less strongly to the -562 to -557 site. Thus, the smpd3 promoter is activated by BMP2 and is directly regulated by the Ru... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2234909 Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2234909 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2234908&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19250609%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kim BH, Won YS, Kim DY, Kim B, Kim EY, Yoon M, Oh GT Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha and estrogen are believed to be involved in metabolic changes leading to obesity. To test this relationship, we divided female wildtype and PPARalpha-deficient mice fed on a high fat diet into the following groups: mock-operated, ovariectomized (OVX), and E(2)-treated. The visceral white adipose tissue and plasma cholesterol levels were increased significantly in wild type OVX and decreased in the E(2)-treated group, but interestingly not in PPARalpha-deficient mice. The mRNA levels of lipoprotein lipase in adipose tissue were also increased in only wild type OVX and decreased significantly in E(2)-treated mice. These novel results suggest the possibility of signaling crosstal... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2234908 Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2234908 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2234907&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19250610%26dopt%3DAbstract This study investigated ar-turmerone-mediated apoptotic protein activation in human lymphoma U937 cells. Ar-turmerone treatment inhibited U937 cell viability in a concentration-dependent fashion, with inhibition exceeding 84%. Moreover, the treatment produced nucleosomal DNA fragmentation and the percentage of sub-diploid cells increased in a concentration-dependent manner; both are hallmarks of apoptosis. The apoptotic effect of ar-turmerone was associated with the induction of Bax and p53 proteins, rather than Bcl-2 and p21. Activation of mitochondrial cytochrome c and caspase-3 demonstrated that the activation of caspases accompanied the apoptotic effect of ar-turmerone, which mediated cell death. These results suggest that the apoptotic effect of ar-turmerone on U937 cells may involve ... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2234907 Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2234907 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2234906&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19250611%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jie W, Dashi Y, Xinhong G, Xuanming L The homozygous T-DNA mutant of the AMY1 gene in Arabidopsis was identified and importantly, shown to cause an early flowering phenotype. We found that the disruption of AMY1 enhanced expression of CO and FT. The expression analyses of genes related to starch metabolism revealed that expression of the AGPase small subunit APS1 in the wild type was higher than in the amy1 mutant. However, there were no significant differences in expression levels of the AGPase large subunit genes ApL1, AMY2, or AMY3 between wild type and the amy1 mutant. Expression profiling showed that AMY1 was highly expressed in leaves, stems, and flowers, and expressed less in leafstalks and roots. Furthermore, the level of AMY1 mRNA was highly elevated with age and in s... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2234906 Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2234906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2234905&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19250612%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ronnau C, Liebermann HE, Helbig F, Staudt A, Felix SB, Ewert R, Landsberger M The bio-complex "reaction pattern in vertebrate cells" (RiV) is mainly represented by characteristic exosome-like particles -- probably as reaction products of cells to specific stress. The transcription factor NF-kappaB plays a central role in inflammation. We tested the hypothesis that RiV particle preparations (RiV-PP) reduce cellular adhesion molecule (CAM) expression (ICAM-1, VCAM-1, E-selectin) by the attenuation of NF-kappaB translocation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). After 4 hours, pre-incubation of HUVEC with RiV-PP before stimulation with TNF-alpha significantly reduced ICAM-1 (65.5+/-10.3%) and VCAM-1 (71.1+/-12.3%) mRNA expression compared to TNF-alpha-treated cells (... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2234905 Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2234905 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2234904&cid=s_37276_60_f&fid=37276&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19250613%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we overexpressed the mammalian MsrB and MsrA genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and assessed their subcellular localization and antioxidant functions. We found that the mitochondrial MsrB3 protein (MsrB3B) was localized to the cytosol, but not to the mitochondria, of the yeast cells. The mitochondrial MsrB2 protein was detected in the mitochondria and, to a lesser extent, the cytosol of the yeast cells. In this study, we report the first evidence that MsrB3 overexpression in yeast cells protected them against H(2)O(2)-mediated cell death. Additionally, MsrB2 overexpression also provided yeast cells with resistance to oxidative stress, as did MsrA overexpression. Our results show that mammalian MsrB and MsrA proteins perform crucial functions in protection against oxidative st... BMB Reports journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2234904 Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2234904