MedWorm: Cytology

Quantification of Extracellular DNA Using Hypermethylated RASSF1A, SRY, and GLO Sequences—Evaluation of Diagnostic Possibilities for Predicting Placental Insufficiency

DNA and Cell Biology — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:02:00 +0100

DNA and Cell Biology , Vol. 0, No. 0. (Source: DNA and Cell Biology)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Genes and behavior interact to determine mortality in mice when food is scarce and competition fierce

Aging Cell — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

(Source: Aging Cell)

Downregulation of NF-kappaB signaling by mutant huntingtin proteins induces oxidative stress and cell death.

Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences : CMLS — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Reijonen S, Kukkonen JP, Hyrskyluoto A, Kivinen J, Kairisalo M, Takei N, Lindholm D, Korhonen L Accumulation of abnormal proteins and endoplasmic reticulum stress accompany neurodegenerative diseases including Huntington's disease. We show that the expression of mutant huntingtin proteins with extended polyglutamine repeats differentially affected endoplasmic reticulum signaling cascades linked to the inositol-requiring enzyme-1 (IRE1) pathway. Thus, the p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathways were activated, while the levels of the nuclear factor-kappaB-p65 (NF-kappaB-p65) protein decreased. Downregulation of NF-kappaB signaling was linked to decreased antioxidant levels, increased oxidative stress, and enhanced cell death. Concomitantly, calpain was activated, and treatment...

Short-term calorie restriction reverses vascular endothelial dysfunction in old mice by increasing nitric oxide and reducing oxidative stress

Aging Cell — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

To determine if short-term calorie restriction reverses vascular endothelial dysfunction in old mice, old (O, n = 30) and young (Y, n = 10) male B6D2F1 mice were fed ad libitum (AL) or calorie restricted (CR, approximately 30%) for 8 weeks. Ex vivo carotid artery endothelium-dependent dilation (EDD) was impaired in old ad libitum (OAL) vs. young ad libitum (YAL) (74 ± 5 vs. 95 ± 2% of maximum dilation, P < 0.05), whereas old calorie-restricted (OCR) and YCR did not differ (96 ± 1 vs. 94 ± 3%). Impaired EDD in OAL was mediated by reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability associated with decreased endothelial NO synthase expression (aorta) (P < 0.05), both of which were restored in OCR. Nitrotyrosine, a cellular marker of oxidant modification, was markedly elevated in OAL (P < 0.05), whe...

Molecular Cloning of Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen and Its Differential Expression Analysis in the Developing Ovary and Testis of Penaeid Shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus

DNA and Cell Biology — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:01:46 +0100

DNA and Cell Biology , Vol. 0, No. 0. (Source: DNA and Cell Biology)

Polyglutamine toxicity in non-neuronal cells.

Cell Research — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Bradford JW, Li S, Li XJ The neurodegenerative polyglutamine diseases are caused by an expansion of unstable polyglutamine repeats in various disease proteins. Although these mutant proteins are expressed ubiquitously in neuronal and non-neuronal cells, they cause selective degeneration of specific neuronal populations. Recently, increasing evidence shows that polyglutamine disease proteins also affect non-neuronal cells. However, it remains unclear how the expression of polyglutamine proteins in non-neuronal cells contributes to the course of the polyglutamine diseases. Here, we discuss recent findings about the expression of mutant polyglutamine proteins in non-neuronal cells and their influence on neurological symptoms. Understanding the contribution of non-neuronal polyglu...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Palmitate impairs cytokinesis associated with RhoA inhibition.

Cell Research — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Zhang J, Yang Y, Wu J PMID: 20231861 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Cell Research)

trans Regulation: Do mRNAs Have a Herd Mentality?

Developmental Cell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Wilusz CJ, Wilusz J Control of mRNA translation and localization plays an important role in many developmental contexts. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Reveal et al. show through analysis of the oskar mRNA in Drosophila embryos that regulatory elements within mRNAs can act in trans to influence the behavior of other mRNA molecules. PMID: 20230739 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Developmental Cell)

Terminating Histone Synthesis to Preserve Centromere Integrity.

Developmental Cell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Marzluff WF Histone protein synthesis is activated as cells enter S phase to allow packaging of the newly replicated DNA into chromatin. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Takayama and coworkers elucidate a mechanism for silencing histone expression at the end of S phase in S. pombe. Failure to shut off histone expression disrupts centromeric chromatin structure. PMID: 20230740 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Developmental Cell)

Chromatin: The Final Frontier in Splicing Regulation?

Developmental Cell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Fox-Walsh K, Fu XD Pre-mRNA splicing, once thought to be a strictly posttranscriptional event in gene expression, is subject to a multitiered network of regulation. Luco et al. now report in Science that this regulation seems to begin with chromatin modifications, suggesting that the histone code may be a prequel to the splicing code. PMID: 20230741 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Developmental Cell)

BCL6 and BCoR Gang Up on Notch to Regulate Left-Right Patterning.

Developmental Cell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Koch U, Radtke F In this issue of Developmental Cell, Sakano et al. describe a novel mechanism of how a key lymphocyte transcription factor crosstalks to Notch signaling during embryonic development and thereby selectively inhibits Notch-activated target genes to allow proper left-right patterning. PMID: 20230742 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Developmental Cell)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Switch NFix Developmental Myogenesis.

Developmental Cell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Palacios D, Puri PL During development, skeletal muscles adapt to stage-specific functional and metabolic challenges by switching the expression of specific subset of genes. The mechanism that governs these changes is still enigmatic. In a recent issue of Cell, Messina and coworkers shed light on this issue through the identification of a transcription factor-NFix-that coordinates the switch in gene expression at the transition from embryonic to fetal myoblasts. PMID: 20230743 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Developmental Cell)

Cellular Plasticity within the Pancreas- Lessons Learned from Development.

Developmental Cell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Puri S, Hebrok M The pancreas has been the subject of intense research due to the debilitating diseases that result from its dysfunction. In this review, we summarize current understanding of the critical tissue interactions and intracellular regulatory events that take place during formation of the pancreas from a small cluster of cells in the foregut domain of the mouse embryo. Importantly, an understanding of principles that govern the development of this organ has equipped us with the means to manipulate both embryonic and differentiated adult cells in the context of regenerative medicine. The emerging area of lineage modulation within the adult pancreas is of particular interest, and this review summarizes recent findings that exemplify how lessons learned from developmen...

Structural Rules and Complex Regulatory Circuitry Constrain Expression of a Notch- and EGFR-Regulated Eye Enhancer.

Developmental Cell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Swanson CI, Evans NC, Barolo S Enhancers integrate spatiotemporal information to generate precise patterns of gene expression. How complex is the regulatory logic of a typical developmental enhancer, and how important is its internal organization? Here, we examine in detail the structure and function of sparkling, a Notch- and EGFR/MAPK-regulated, cone cell-specific enhancer of the Drosophila Pax2 gene, in vivo. In addition to its 12 previously identified protein-binding sites, sparkling is densely populated with previously unmapped regulatory sequences, which interact in complex ways to control gene expression. One segment is essential for activation at a distance, yet dispensable for other activation functions and for cell type patterning. Unexpectedly, rearranging sparkling...

Hsk1- and SCF(Pof3)-Dependent Proteolysis of S. pombe Ams2 Ensures Histone Homeostasis and Centromere Function.

Developmental Cell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Takayama Y, Mamnun YM, Trickey M, Dhut S, Masuda F, Yamano H, Toda T, Saitoh S Schizosaccharomyces pombe GATA factor Ams2 is responsible for cell cycle-dependent transcriptional activation of all the core histone genes peaking at G1/S phase. Intriguingly, its own protein level also fluctuates concurrently. Here, we show that Ams2 is ubiquitylated and degraded through the SCF (Skp1-Cdc53/Cullin-1-F-box) ubiquitin ligase, in which F box protein Pof3 binds this protein. Ams2 is phosphorylated at multiple sites, which is required for SCF(Pof3)-dependent proteolysis. Hsk1/Cdc7 kinase physically associates with and phosphorylates Ams2. Even mild overexpression of Ams2 induces constitutive histone expression and chromosome instability, and its toxicity is exaggerated when Hsk1 functi...

Rec8 Phosphorylation by Casein Kinase 1 and Cdc7-Dbf4 Kinase Regulates Cohesin Cleavage by Separase during Meiosis.

Developmental Cell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Katis VL, Lipp JJ, Imre R, Bogdanova A, Okaz E, Habermann B, Mechtler K, Nasmyth K, Zachariae W During meiosis, two rounds of chromosome segregation after a single round of DNA replication produce haploid gametes from diploid precursors. At meiosis I, maternal and paternal kinetochores are pulled toward opposite poles, and chiasmata holding bivalent chromosomes together are resolved by cleavage of cohesin's alpha-kleisin subunit (Rec8) along chromosome arms. This creates dyad chromosomes containing a pair of chromatids joined solely by cohesin at centromeres that had resisted cleavage. The discovery that centromeric Rec8 is protected from separase during meiosis I by shugoshin/MEI-S332 proteins that bind PP2A phosphatase suggests that phosphorylation either of separase or cohe...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Ofd1, a Human Disease Gene, Regulates the Length and Distal Structure of Centrioles.

Developmental Cell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Singla V, Romaguera-Ros M, Garcia-Verdugo JM, Reiter JF Centrosomes and their component centrioles represent the principal microtubule organizing centers of animal cells. Here, we show that the gene underlying orofaciodigital syndrome 1, Ofd1, is a component of the distal centriole that controls centriole length. In the absence of Ofd1, distal regions of centrioles, but not procentrioles, elongate abnormally. These long centrioles are structurally similar to normal centrioles but contain destabilized microtubules with abnormal posttranslational modifications. Ofd1 is also important for centriole distal appendage formation and centriolar recruitment of the intraflagellar transport protein Ift88. To model OFD1 syndrome in embryonic stem cells, we replaced the Ofd1 gene with miss...

Sorting of the Alzheimer's Disease Amyloid Precursor Protein Mediated by the AP-4 Complex.

Developmental Cell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Burgos PV, Mardones GA, Rojas AL, Dasilva LL, Prabhu Y, Hurley JH, Bonifacino JS Adaptor protein 4 (AP-4) is the most recently discovered and least well-characterized member of the family of heterotetrameric adaptor protein (AP) complexes that mediate sorting of transmembrane cargo in post-Golgi compartments. Herein, we report the interaction of an YKFFE sequence from the cytosolic tail of the Alzheimer's disease amyloid precursor protein (APP) with the mu4 subunit of AP-4. Biochemical and X-ray crystallographic analyses reveal that the properties of the APP sequence and the location of the binding site on mu4 are distinct from those of other signal-adaptor interactions. Disruption of the APP-AP-4 interaction decreases localization of APP to endosomes and enhances gamma-secret...

Regulation of Developmental Lymphangiogenesis by Syk(+) Leukocytes.

Developmental Cell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We describe here a myeloid population that is defined by expression of the tyrosine kinase Syk, comprises largely M2-polarized mononuclear cells, and robustly expresses angiogenic factors, including VEGF-C/-D and chemokines. These cells stimulate lymphangiogenesis in vivo. Deletion of Syk causes increased chemotractant production, enhanced transmigration, and accumulation in the skin. Ensuing lymphatic hyperplasia and vessel dilation cause the formation of blood-lymphatic shunts. This mechanism does not involve circulating endothelial progenitor cells and demonstrates the potential of hematopoietic cells to control developmental lymphangiogenesis. PAPERFLICK: PMID: 20230750 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Developmental Cell)

BCL6 Canalizes Notch-Dependent Transcription, Excluding Mastermind-like1 from Selected Target Genes during Left-Right Patterning.

Developmental Cell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Sakano D, Kato A, Parikh N, McKnight K, Terry D, Stefanovic B, Kato Y Although the Notch signaling pathway is one of the most intensely studied intracellular signaling pathways, the mechanisms by which Notch signaling regulates transcription remain incompletely understood. Here, we report that B cell leukemia/lymphoma 6 (BCL6), a transcriptional repressor, is a Notch-associated factor. BCL6 is necessary to maintain the expression of Pitx2 in the left lateral plate mesoderm during the patterning of left-right asymmetry in Xenopus embryos. For this process, BCL6 forms a complex with BCL6 corepressor (BCoR) on the promoters of selected Notch target genes such as enhancer of split related 1. BCL6 also inhibits the transcription of these genes by competing for the Notch1 intracellu...

Arabidopsis Regeneration from Multiple Tissues Occurs via a Root Development Pathway.

Developmental Cell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Sugimoto K, Jiao Y, Meyerowitz EM Unlike most animal cells, plant cells can easily regenerate new tissues from a wide variety of organs when properly cultured. The common elements that provide varied plant cells with their remarkable regeneration ability are still largely unknown. Here we describe the initial process of Arabidopsis in vitro regeneration, where a pluripotent cell mass termed callus is induced. We demonstrate that callus resembles the tip of a root meristem, even if it is derived from aerial organs such as petals, which clearly shows that callus formation is not a simple reprogramming process backward to an undifferentiated state as widely believed. Furthermore, callus formation in roots, cotyledons, and petals is blocked in mutant plants incapable of lateral ro...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Cortical Neural Precursors Inhibit Their Own Differentiation via N-Cadherin Maintenance of beta-Catenin Signaling.

Developmental Cell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Zhang J, Woodhead GJ, Swaminathan SK, Noles SR, McQuinn ER, Pisarek AJ, Stocker AM, Mutch CA, Funatsu N, Chenn A Little is known about the architecture of cellular microenvironments that support stem and precursor cells during tissue development. Although adult stem cell niches are organized by specialized supporting cells, in the developing cerebral cortex, neural stem/precursor cells reside in a neurogenic niche lacking distinct supporting cells. Here, we find that neural precursors themselves comprise the niche and regulate their own development. Precursor-precursor contact regulates beta-catenin signaling and cell fate. In vivo knockdown of N-cadherin reduces beta-catenin signaling, migration from the niche, and neuronal differentiation in vivo. N-cadherin engagement activ...

Retinoic Acid Regulates Differentiation of the Secondary Heart Field and TGFbeta-Mediated Outflow Tract Septation.

Developmental Cell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Li P, Pashmforoush M, Sucov HM In many experimental models and clinical examples, defects in the differentiation of the second heart field (SHF) and heart outflow tract septation defects are combined, although the mechanistic basis for this relationship has been unclear. We found that as the initial SHF population incorporates into the outflow tract, it is replenished from the surrounding progenitor territory. In retinoic acid (RA) receptor mutant mice, this latter process fails, and the outflow tract is shortened and misaligned as a result. As an additional consequence, the outflow tract is misspecified along its proximal-distal axis, which results in ectopic expression of TGFbeta2 and ectopic mesenchymal transformation of the endocardium. Reduction of TGFbeta2 gene dosage in...

Morgana/chp-1, a ROCK Inhibitor Involved in Centrosome Duplication and Tumorigenesis.

Developmental Cell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Ferretti R, Palumbo V, Di Savino A, Velasco S, Sbroggiò M, Sportoletti P, Micale L, Turco E, Silengo L, Palumbo G, Hirsch E, Teruya-Feldstein J, Bonaccorsi S, Pandolfi PP, Gatti M, Tarone G, Brancaccio M Centrosome abnormalities lead to genomic instability and are a common feature of many cancer cells. Here we show that mutations in morgana/chp-1 result in centrosome amplification and lethality in both Drosophila and mouse, and that the fly centrosome phenotype is fully rescued by the human ortholog of morgana. In mouse cells, morgana forms a complex with Hsp90 and ROCK I and II, and directly binds ROCK II. Morgana downregulation promotes the interaction between ROCK II and nucleophosmin (NPM), leading to an increased ROCK II kinase activity, which results in centrosome a...

BREs Mediate Both Repression and Activation of oskar mRNA Translation and Act In trans.

Developmental Cell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Reveal B, Yan N, Snee MJ, Pai CI, Gim Y, Macdonald PM Asymmetric positioning of proteins within cells is crucial for cell polarization and function. Deployment of Oskar protein at the posterior pole of the Drosophila oocyte relies on localization of the oskar mRNA, repression of its translation prior to localization, and finally activation of translation. Translational repression is mediated by BREs, regulatory elements positioned in two clusters near both ends of the oskar mRNA 3' UTR. Here we show that some BREs are bifunctional: both clusters of BREs contribute to translational repression, and the 3' cluster has an additional role in release from BRE-dependent repression. Remarkably, both BRE functions can be provided in trans by an oskar mRNA with wild-type BREs that is it...

Retinoic acid treatment and cell aggregation independently regulate alternative splicing in P19 cells during neural differentiation.

Cell Biology International — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Alam AH, Suzuki H, Tsukahara T To induce neural differentiation of P19 cells, two different treatments, retinoic acid (RA) and cell aggregation, are required. However, there has been no report that RA treatment alone or cell aggregation alone could control alternative splicing regulations in P19 cells. Therefore, we focused on alternative splicing effects by neural induction (RA treatment and/or cell aggregation) in P19 cells. We analyzed the splicing patterns of several genes, including 5-HT3R-A, Actn1, CUGBP2, and PTB, which showed different responses during the early neural induction of P19 cells. We show here that RA treatment alone changes the alternative splice mechanism of 5-HT3R-A. Cell aggregation alone controls alternative splicing regulation of Actn1. Both treatment...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Neurotoxic Effects of Methamphetamine on Rat Hippocampus Pyramidal Neurons.

Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Hori N, Kadota MT, Watanabe M, Ito Y, Akaike N, Carpenter DO Methamphetamine (MAP) is known to alter behavior and cause deficits in learning and memory. While the major site of action of MAP is on mesolimbic dopaminergic pathways, the effects on learning and memory raise the possibility of important actions in the hippocampus. We have studied electrophysiologic and morphologic effects of MAP in the CA1 region of hippocampus from young male rats chronically exposed to MAP, male rats exposed during gestation only and the effects of bath perfusion of MAP onto brain slices from control rats. Pyramidal neurons in brain slices from chronically exposed rats had reduced membrane potential and membrane resistance. Long-term potentiation (LTP) was reduced as compared to control, but whe...

Neuronal MHC Class I Molecules are Involved in Excitatory Synaptic Transmission at the Hippocampal Mossy Fiber Synapses of Marmoset Monkeys.

Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Ribic A, Zhang M, Schlumbohm C, Mätz-Rensing K, Uchanska-Ziegler B, Flügge G, Zhang W, Walter L, Fuchs E Several recent studies suggested a role for neuronal major histocompatibility complex class I (MHCI) molecules in certain forms of synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus of rodents. Here, we report for the first time on the expression pattern and functional properties of MHCI molecules in the hippocampus of a nonhuman primate, the common marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus). We detected a presynaptic, mossy fiber-specific localization of MHCI proteins within the marmoset hippocampus. MHCI molecules were present in the large, VGlut1-positive, mossy fiber terminals, which provide input to CA3 pyramidal neurons. Furthermore, whole-cell recordings of CA3 pyramidal neu...

The Roles of Striatal Serotonin and L: -Amino-acid Decarboxylase on L: -DOPA-induced Dyskinesia in a Hemiparkinsonian Rat Model.

Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Gil S, Park C, Lee J, Koh H The administration of L: -DOPA is the standard treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the symptomatic relief provided by long-term administration may be compromised by L: -DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) that presents as adverse fluctuations in motor responsiveness and progressive loss of motor control. In the later stages of PD, raphestriatal serotonin neurons compensate for the loss of nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) neurons by converting and releasing DA derived from exogenous L: -DOPA. Since the serotonin system does not have an autoregulatory mechanism for DA, raphe-mediated striatal DA release may fluctuate dramatically and precede the development of LID. The 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rats were treated with L: -DOPA (6 mg/kg) and benseraz...

Finding the middle ground: how kinetochores power chromosome congression.

Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences : CMLS — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Kops GJ, Saurin AT, Meraldi P Genomic stability requires error-free chromosome segregation during mitosis. Chromosome congression to the spindle equator precedes chromosome segregation in anaphase and is a hallmark of metazoan mitosis. Here we review the current knowledge and concepts on the processes that underlie chromosome congression, including initial attachment to spindle microtubules, biorientation, and movements, from the perspective of the kinetochore. PMID: 20232224 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences : CMLS)

TGF[beta] mediated transition of corneal fibroblasts from a proinflammatory state to a profibrotic state through modulation of histone acetylation

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, TGF[beta] suppressed the production of proinflammatory factors and enhanced the expression of matrix remodeling genes of corneal fibroblasts in the transition from the proinflammatory state to the profibrotic state, and the dual roles of TGF[beta] on the phenotype regulations of corneal fibroblasts were mediated by altered histone acetylation. J. Cell. Physiol. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: Journal of Cellular Physiology)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Degraded Water Quality Influences Microbial Community Composition and Perception of Health Risks in the Chattooga River

DNA and Cell Biology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:44:14 +0100

DNA and Cell Biology , Vol. 0, No. 0. (Source: DNA and Cell Biology)

Absence of Association between CD86 +1057G/A Polymorphism and Coronary Artery Disease

DNA and Cell Biology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:41:19 +0100

DNA and Cell Biology , Vol. 0, No. 0. (Source: DNA and Cell Biology)

Analysis of Adiponectin Gene Polymorphisms in Dilated Cardiomyopathy in a Han Chinese Population

DNA and Cell Biology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:38:57 +0100

DNA and Cell Biology , Vol. 0, No. 0. (Source: DNA and Cell Biology)

Association and Haplotype Analysis of Prostate Stem Cell Antigen with Gastric Cancer in Tibetans

DNA and Cell Biology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:27:27 +0100

DNA and Cell Biology , Vol. 0, No. 0. (Source: DNA and Cell Biology)

Steroidal regulation of Ihh and Gli1 expression in the rat uterus

Cell and Tissue Research — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:55:14 +0100

Abstract Ovarian steroid hormones, progesterone (P4), and estradiol (E2) strictly regulate the endometrial tissue remodeling required for successful embryo implantation. Indian hedgehog (Ihh) is up-regulated by P4 and critically mediates uterine receptivity in the mouse. However, the regulation of Ihh expression during the implantation period still remains unclear. The present study was conducted to elucidate the mechanism of the steroidal regulation in the expression of Ihh and Gli1, the mediator of the Ihh pathway. Ihh mRNA was expressed in the rat uterus on 3.5–5.5 days post-coitus (dpc), while Gli1 expression transiently increased at 3.5 dpc but decreased significantly on 5.5 dpc (P < 0.001). In delayed implantation, the expression of Ihh was induce...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

The effects of tissue sample size and media on short-term hypothermic preservation of porcine testis tissue

Cell and Tissue Research — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:55:14 +0100

The objective of this study was to develop effective strategies for hypothermic preservation of immature porcine testis tissue to maintain structural integrity and cell viability. In Experiment 1, testes from 1-week-old piglets were used to study the effects of tissue sample size (as intact testes or fragments of 100-or 30 mg) and the use of one of 9 different media on hypothermic preservation of the testis tissue for 6 days. The examined media included: Dulbecco’s phosphate-buffered saline (DPBS), Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM), Leibovitz L15 (L15), L15 with fetal bovine serum (FBS, at 10%, 20% or 50%), HypoThermosol solution-FRS (HTS), Ham’s F12, and Media 199. On days 0, 3, and 6, testis tissues were digested to compare the cell survival rates. Tissue ...

Ultrastructural immunogold localization of nitric oxide synthase isoforms in rat and human eosinophils

Cell and Tissue Research — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:55:14 +0100

Abstract The involvement of nitric oxide (NO) as both pro and anti-inflammatory agent in allergic, airway inflammatory, and asthmatic diseases and the active participation of eosinophils in such ailments have been previously suggested. NO modulates eosinophil number, migration and their survival. The microenvironment of NO synthase (NOS) in subcellular organelles determines its rate and efficiency of catalysis, which in turn influences NO generation at distinct intracellular locales. The present study was undertaken to assess the intracellular distribution of NOS isoforms by transmission electron microscopy followed by morphometric analysis in human and rat eosinophils. Rat eosinophils were explored in parallel, and since they are widely used as model systems to mimic huma...

Imaging multiple intermediates of single-virus membrane fusion mediated by distinct fusion proteins.

Cell Research — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Joo KI, Tai A, Lee CL, Wong C, Wang P Membrane fusion plays an essential role in the entry of enveloped viruses into target cells. The merging of viral and target cell membranes is catalyzed by viral fusion proteins, which involves multiple sequential steps in the fusion process. However, the fusion mechanisms mediated by different fusion proteins involve multiple transient intermediates that have not been well characterized. Here, we report a synthetic virus platform that allows us to better understand the different fusion mechanisms driven by the diverse types fusion proteins. The platform consists of lentiviral particles coenveloped with a surface antibody, which serves as the binding protein, along with a fusion protein derived from either influenza virus (HAmu) or Sindbis...

Unbiased stereological estimation of the rat fetal pituitary volume and of the total number and volume of TSH cells after maternal dexamethasone application.

Cell Research — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Manojlović-Stojanoski M, Nestorović N, Ristić N, Trifunović S, Filipović B, Sošić-Jurjević B, Sekulić M Glucocorticoids have an inhibitory influence on proliferation activity of the pituitary cells while stimulating apoptosis. Therefore, it was hypothesized that the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone (DX), has an inhibitory influence on the number of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) cells during fetal development. The effects of maternal administration of DX on stereological parameters of TSH cells, and TSH serum concentration were investigated in 21-day-old rat fetuses. On day 16 of pregnancy, the experimental dams received 1.0 mg DX/kg b.w. subcutaneously, followed by 0.5 mg DX/kg b.w./day on days 17 and 18 of gesta...

Force spectroscopy as a tool to investigate the properties of supported lipid membranes.

Cell Research — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Canale C, Jacono M, Diaspro A, Dante S Solid supported lipid bilayers (SLB) are extensively used as a model for the investigation of cell membranes in a variety of spectroscopic and biophysical methods. It is nevertheless well known that the interaction with the solid substrate, such as mica or silicon, influences the properties of the membranes. In this article we have employed atomic force microscopy (AFM) in force spectroscopy mode (FS) to investigate the local mechanical properties of lipid membranes supported on mica and on polymer cushion. The lipid double layers were obtained by fusion of unilamellar vesicle of phospholipids. The polymer support was created by self-assembly of charged polyelectrolytes. Force spectroscopy provided information about the breakthrough force...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Nuclear variants of bone morphogenetic proteins

BMC Cell Biology - Latest articles — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The observation that nBmp2 localization varies throughout the cell cycle, as well as the conservation of a nuclear localization mechanism among three different BMP family members, suggests that these novel nuclear variants of BMP family proteins play an important functional role in the cell. (Source: BMC Cell Biology - Latest articles)

Transcriptional regulation of Rex1 (zfp42) in normal prostate epithelial cells and prostate cancer cells

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Rex1 (zfp42) was identified by our laboratory because of its reduced expression in F9 teratocarcinoma stem cells after retinoic acid (RA) treatment. The Rex1 (Zfp42) gene is currently widely used as a marker of embryonic stem cells. We compared the transcriptional regulation of the human Rex1 gene in NTera-2 (NT-2) human teratocarcinoma, normal human prostate epithelial cells (PrEC), and prostate cancer cells (PC-3) by promoter/luciferase analyses. Oct4, Sox2, Nanog, and Dax1 transcripts are expressed at higher levels in NT-2 and PrEC cells than in PC-3 cells. Co-transfection analyses showed that YY1 and Rex1 are positive regulators of hRex1 transcription in NT-2 and PrEC cells, whereas Nanog is not. Serial deletion constructs of the hRex1 promoter were created and analyzed, by which we id...

Regulatory factors and cell populations involved in skeletal muscle regeneration

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Skeletal muscle regeneration is a complex process, which is not yet completely understood. Satellite cells, the skeletal muscle stem cells, become activated after trauma, proliferate, and migrate to the site of injury. Depending on the severity of the myotrauma, activated satellite cells form new multinucleated myofibers or fuse to damaged myofibers. The specific microenvironment of the satellite cells, the niche, controls their behavior. The niche contains several components that maintain satellite cells quiescence until they are activated. In addition, a great diversity of stimulatory and inhibitory growth factors such as IGF-1 and TGF-[beta]1 regulate their activity. Donor-derived satellite cells are able to improve muscle regeneration, but their migration through the muscle tissue and ...

Involvement of Cx43 phosphorylation in 5[prime]-N-ethylcarboxamide-induced migration and proliferation of mouse embryonic stem cells

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Despite a lot of gap junction research, the complex connection between gap junction and cell proliferation remains an exciting area of investigation. Thus, we examined the effect of connexin 43 (Cx43) on the migration and proliferation of embryonic stem (ES) cells and its related signaling pathways following stimulation with the adenosine analogue 5[prime]-N-ethylcarboxamide (NECA). NECA increased phosphorylation of Cx43 which was blocked by caffeine, a non-selective adenosine receptor antagonist. In experiment to measure the gap junctional intercellular communication, NECA blocked transfer of Lucifer yellow to neighboring cells in a scrape loading/dye transfer (SL/DT) assay. In addition, NECA-induced phosphorylation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt, protein kinase C (PKC), mitogen-...

Prolonged blockade of VEGF receptors does not damage retinal photoreceptors or ganglion cells

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

It has recently been reported that relatively short-term inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling can cause photoreceptor cell death, a potentially clinically important finding since VEGF blockade has become an important modality of treatment of ocular neovascularization and macular edema. However, in a set of studies in which we achieved extended and complete blockage of VEGF-induced vascular leakage through retinal expression of a VEGF binding protein, we did not observe any toxicity to retinal neurons. To follow-up on these apparently discrepant findings, we designed a set of experiments with the kinase inhibitor SU4312, which blocks phosphorylation of VEGF receptors, to look directly for evidence of VEGF inhibition-related retinal toxicity. Using transgenic mic...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

miR-20b modulates VEGF expression by targeting HIF-1[alpha] and STAT3 in MCF-7 breast cancer cells

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate the expression of different genes, including genes involved in cancer progression. A functional link between hypoxia, a key feature of the tumor microenvironment, and miRNA expression has been documented. We investigated whether and how miR-20b can regulate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in MCF-7 breast cancer cells under normoxic and hypoxia-mimicking conditions (CoCl2 exposure). Using immunoblotting, ELISA, and quantitative real-time PCR, we demonstrated that miR-20b decreased VEGF protein levels at 4 and 24 h following CoCl2 treatment, and VEGF mRNA at 4 h of treatment. In addition, miR-20b reduced VEGF protein expression in untreated cells. Next, we investigated the molecular mechanism by which pre-...

The ERK5 and ERK1/2 signaling pathways play opposing regulatory roles during chondrogenesis of adult human bone marrow-derived multipotent progenitor cells

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, our results suggest a novel role for the ERK5 pathway as an important negative regulator of adult human MPC chondrogenesis and illustrate that the ERK5 and ERK1/2 kinase cascades play opposing roles regulating MPC cartilage formation. J. Cell. Physiol. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: Journal of Cellular Physiology)

Cadmium-induced hormetic effect in differentiated Caco-2 cells: ERK and p38 activation without cell proliferation stimulation

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic metal that enters the food chain. Following oral ingestion, the intestinal epithelium may in part protect against Cd toxicity but is also a target tissue. Using human enterocytic-like Caco-2 cells, we have previously shown differences in sensitivity to Cd according to the differentiation status. The present study focuses on Cd effects on differentiated cells. Concentration and time-dependent increases in MTT (3-[4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay) activity were observed in post-confluent cultures exclusively, with a twofold maximal stimulation in 21-day-old cells exposed to 10 µM Cd for 24 h. No concomitant increase in [methyl-3H] thymidine incorporation was noted and Cd did not modify cell distribution in the cell-cycle phases. Howe...

Impact of integrin-matrix interaction and signaling on insulin gene expression and the mesenchymal transition of human [beta]-cells

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A critical shortage of donor pancreata currently prevents the development of a universal cell-based therapy for type I diabetes. The ex vivo expansion of insulin-producing [beta]-cells offers a potential solution but is problematic due to the inherent tendency of these cells to transition into mesenchymal-like cells that are devoid of function. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that exposure to elements of the extracellular matrix (ECM) directly potentiates the mesenchymal transition of cultured fetal [beta]-cells and causes associated declines in insulin gene expression. Individual ECM constituents varied in their ability to induce such responses, with collagen-IV (C-IV) and fibronectin inducing strong responses, whereas laminin-1 had no significant effect. Mesenchymal transition an...

Apoptosis induction by eIF5A1 involves activation of the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The regulatory role of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A1 (eIF5A1) in apoptosis was examined using HT-29 and HeLa S3 cells. eIF5A is the only known protein to contain the unusual amino acid, hypusine, and eIF5A1 is one of two human eIF5A family members. Two observations indicated that eIF5A1 is involved in apoptosis. First, siRNA-mediated suppression of eIF5A1 resulted in inhibition of apoptosis induced by various apoptotic stimuli, and second, adenovirus-mediated over-expression of eIF5A1 strongly induced apoptotic cell death. A mutant of eIF5A1 incapable of being hypusinated also induced apoptosis when over-expressed indicating that unhypusinated eIF5A1 is the pro-apoptotic form of the protein. Over-expression of eIF5A1 or of the mutant resulted in loss of mitochondrial transme...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Characterization of BAG3 cleavage during apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In this report, we identify BAG3 as a novel caspases substrate. Here, we show that one of these BAG proteins, BAG3, is cleaved during apoptosis. BAG3 cleavage is inhibited by several different caspase inhibitors. The analysis of BAG3 cleavage by recombinant caspase proteins shows that BAG3 is efficiently cleaved by caspase-3, to a smaller extent by caspases-1 and -8, and relatively inefficient by caspase-9. Cleavage of the BAG3 protein occurs in the C-terminal part of the protein majorly at Asp347 (KEVD347[darr]S) in vitro and in pancreatic cancer SW1990 and PANC-1 cells undergoing apoptosis. We also demonstrate that unlike cleavage of Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL, cleaved form of BAG3 does not result in pro-apoptotic fragments, however, cleavage of BAG3 lead to loss its per se anti-apoptotic property...

A role for PKR in hematologic malignancies

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The double-stranded RNA-dependent kinase PKR has been described for many years as strictly a pro-apoptotic kinase. Recent data suggest that the main purpose of this kinase is damage control and repair following stress and, if all else fails, apoptosis. Aberrant activation of PKR has been reported in numerous neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Although a subset of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia contain low levels of PKR expression and activity, elevated PKR activity and/or expression have been detected in a wide range of hematologic malignancies, from bone marrow failure disorders to acute leukemia. With the recent findings that cancers containing elevated PKR activity are highly sensitive to PKR inhibition, we explore the role of PKR in hematologic mal...

High glucose regulates cyclin D1/E of human mesenchymal stem cells through TGF-[beta]1 expression via Ca2+/PKC/MAPKs and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signal pathways

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, high glucose stimulated hMSCs proliferation through TGF-[beta]1 expression via Ca2+/PKC/MAPKs as well as PI3K/Akt/mTOR signal pathways. J. Cell. Physiol. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: Journal of Cellular Physiology)

Elucidation of the signaling pathways that underpin capacitation-associated surface phosphotyrosine expression in mouse spermatozoa

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Recent studies from within our laboratory have demonstrated a causal relationship between capacitation-associated surface phosphotyrosine expression and the ability of mouse spermatozoa to recognize the oocyte and engage in sperm-zona pellucida interaction. In the studies described herein we have sought to investigate the signaling pathways that underpin the tyrosine phosphorylation of sperm surface protein targets and validate the physiological significance of these pathways in relation to sperm-zona pellucida adhesion. Through selective pharmacological inhibition we have demonstrated that surface phosphotyrosine expression is unlikely to be mediated by the canonical cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) signaling cascade that has been most widely studied in relation to sperm capacitation...

Sequential loss of cell cycle checkpoint control contributes to malignant transformation of murine embryonic fibroblasts induced by 20-methylcholanthrene

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Definitive information about the number and nature of discrete steps of tumorigenesis is enigmatic. To understand the multistep nature of carcinogenesis, an in vitro model of 20-Methylcholanthrene-treated primary fibroblast cells CNCI-PM-20, from 20-day old Swiss mouse embryo was used. Visible neoplastic changes with distinct morphological variations along with specific chromosomal aberrations like Robertsonian metacentrics, double and single-minute chromosomes and aneuploidy were observed from Passage-20 onwards. The cell cycle profile showed gradual increase in G2/M population till P-32, followed by evasion of block from P-36 onwards. Gradual increase in expression of C-myc, CyclinD1 and a decrease in expression of P21 was observed from P-20 onwards. CDC25A expression was significantly i...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Different protective actions of losartan and tempol on the renal inflammatory response to acute sodium overload

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The aim of this work was to study the role of local intrarenal angiotensin II (Ang II) and the oxidative stress in the up-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines expression observed in rats submitted to an acute sodium overload. Sprague-Dawley rats were infused for 2 h with isotonic saline solution (Control group) and with hypertonic saline solution alone (Na group), plus the AT1 receptor antagonist losartan (10 mg kg-1 in bolus) (Na-Los group), or plus the superoxide dismutase mimetic tempol (0.5 mg min-1 kg-1) (Na-Temp group). Mean arterial pressure, glomerular filtration rate, and fractional sodium excretion (FENa) were measured. Ang II, NF-[kappa]B, hypoxia inducible factor-1[alpha] (HIF-1[alpha]), transforming growth factor [beta]1 (TGF-[beta]1), smooth muscle actin ([alpha]-SMA), en...

Stromal cell-derived factor 1[alpha] reduces senescence of endothelial progenitor subpopulation in lectin-binding and DiLDL-uptaking cell through telomerase activation and telomere elongation

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In conclusions, SDF-1[alpha] delays the onset of EPC subpopulation senescence, which may be related to the activation of telomerase and elongation of telomere length. The inhibition of EPC subpopulation senescence and induction of EPC subpopulation proliferation by SDF-1[alpha] in vitro may importantly improve the functional activity of EPC subpopulation for potential cell therapy. J. Cell. Physiol. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: Journal of Cellular Physiology)

Arctigenin blocks the unfolded protein response and shows therapeutic antitumor activity

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Cancer cells in poorly vascularized solid tumors are constantly or intermittently exposed to stressful microenvironments, including glucose deprivation, hypoxia, and other forms of nutrient starvation. These tumor-specific conditions, especially glucose deprivation, activate a signaling pathway called the unfolded protein response (UPR), which enhances cell survival by induction of the stress proteins. We have established a screening method to discover anticancer agents that could preferentially inhibit tumor cell viability under glucose-deprived conditions. Here we identify arctigenin (ARC-G) as an active compound that shows selective cytotoxicity and inhibits the UPR during glucose deprivation. Indeed, ARC-G blocked expression of UPR target genes such as phosphorylated-PERK, ATF4, CHOP, ...

Growth differentiation factor 15 acts anti-apoptotic and pro-hypertrophic in adult cardiomyocytes

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, GDF15 protects ventricular cardiomyocytes against different apoptotic stimuli and enhances hypertrophic growth. Hypertrophic signaling is thereby mediated via the kinases PI3K and ERK and the transcription factor R-SMAD1. Thus, GDF15 may influence cardiac remodeling via two different mechanisms, apoptosis protection and induction of hypertrophy. J. Cell. Physiol. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: Journal of Cellular Physiology)

Hypoxia induces BMP-2 expression via ILK, Akt, mTOR, and HIF-1 pathways in osteoblasts

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

It has been shown that hypoxia stimulation regulates bone formation, maintenance, and repair. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) plays important roles in osteoblastic differentiation and bone formation. However, the effects of hypoxia exposure on BMP-2 expression in cultured osteoblasts are largely unknown. Here we found that hypoxia stimulation increased mRNA and protein levels of BMP-2 by qPCR, Western blot and ELISA assay in osteoblastic cells MG-63, hFOB and bone marrow stromal cells M2-10B4. Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) inhibitor (KP-392), Akt inhibitor (1L-6-hydroxymethyl-chiro-inositol-2-[(R)-2-O-methyl-3-O-octadecylcarbonate]) or mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor (rapamycin) inhibited the potentiating action of hypoxia. Exposure to hypoxia increased the kinase activity o...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Meiotic cell cycle arrest in mammalian oocytes

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Meiotic cell cycle in mammalian oocytes is a dynamic process that involves several stop/go channels. The cell cycle arrest in oocyte occurs at various stages such as diplotene, metaphase-I (M-I), metaphase-II (M-II), and so called metaphase-like arrest (M-III). Leutinizing hormone surge induces meiotic resumption from diplotene arrest in follicular microenvironment by overriding several factors responsible for the maintenance of meiotic arrest. The inhibitory factors are synthesized in oocyte or in the associated follicular somatic cells and transferred to the oocyte. The major factors include hypoxanthine, cyclic adenosine 3[prime], 5[prime]-monophosphate, cyclic guanosine 3[prime], 5[prime]-monophosphate, reactive oxygen species, protein kinase A, and protein kinase C. In the presence of...

Group V secreted phospholipase A2 contributes to LPS-induced leukocyte recruitment

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Secreted phospholipases A2 (sPLA2s) are well known for their contribution in the biosynthesis of inflammatory eicosanoids. These enzymes also participate in the inflammatory process by regulating chemokine production and protein expression of adhesion molecules. The majority of sPLA2 isoforms are up-regulated by proinflammatory stimuli such as bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which predominantly increases the expression of group V sPLA2 (sPLA2-V). Furthermore, it has recently been shown that sPLA2-V is a critical messenger in the regulation of cell migration during allergic airway responsiveness. Herein, we investigated the effect of sPLA2-V on LPS-mediated leukocyte recruitment and its capacity to modulate adhesion molecule expression. We conducted our study in the murine air pouch mod...

Membrane vesicles containing matrix metalloproteinase-9 and fibroblast growth factor-2 are released into the extracellular space from mouse mesoangioblast stem cells

Journal of Cellular Physiology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Certain proteins, including fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), have proved very effective in increasing the efficacy of mesoangioblast stem cell therapy in repairing damaged tissue. We provide the first evidence that mouse mesoangioblast stem cells release FGF-2 and MMP-9 in their active form through the production of membrane vesicles. These vesicles are produced and turned over continuously, but are stable for some time in the extracellular milieu. Mesoangioblasts shed membrane vesicles even under oxygen tensions that are lower than those typically used for cell culture and more like those of mouse tissues. These findings suggest that mesoangioblasts may themselves secrete paracrine signals and factors that make damaged tissues more amenable to cel...

A novel link between Sus1 and the cytoplasmic mRNA decay machinery suggests a broad role in mRNA metabolism

BMC Cell Biology - Latest articles — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: In this study, we found genetic and biochemical association between Sus1 and components responsible for cytoplasmic mRNA metabolism. Moreover, Sus1 accumulates in discrete cytoplasmic granules, which partially co-localise with P-bodies and stress granules under specific conditions. These interactions suggest a role for Sus1 in gene expression during cytoplasmic mRNA metabolism in addition to its nuclear function. (Source: BMC Cell Biology - Latest articles)

ESCRT & Co.

Biology of the Cell — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 03:50:04 +0100

In conclusion, the discovery of novel interactors has and will extend our knowledge of the biological roles of ESCRTs. PMID: 20222872 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Biology of the Cell)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Targeting the prodeath and prosurvival functions of autophagy as novel therapeutic strategies in cancer.

Autophagy — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 03:04:09 +0100

Authors: Dalby KN, Tekedereli I, Lopez-Berestein G, Ozpolat B Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved lysosomal pathway for degrading cytoplasmic proteins, macromolecules, and organelles. While autophagy has become one of the most attractive topics in cancer research, the current autophagy literature is often viewed as confusing, because of its association with apparently contradictory roles, such as survival and cell death. Autophagy can serve as a tumor suppressor, as a partial reduction in autophagic capacity or defective autophagy (e.g., heterozygous knockdown BECN1 (+/-) in mice) provides an oncogenic stimulus, causing malignant transformation and spontaneous tumors. In addition, autophagy seems to function as a protective cell survival mechanism against environmental and cellula...

The genetic and evolutionary basis of colour variation in vertebrates.

Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences : CMLS — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Hofreiter M, Schöneberg T Variation in pigmentation is one of the most conspicuous phenotypic traits in vertebrates. Although mammals show less variation in body pigmentation than other vertebrate groups, the genetics of colour determination and variation is best understood for them. More than 150 genes have been identified that influence pigmentation, and in many cases, the cause for variation in pigmentation has been identified down to the underlying nucleotide changes. These studies show that while some genes are often responsible for deviating pigmentation, similar or almost identical phenotypes even in the same species may be due to mutations in different genes. In this review we will first discuss the current knowledge about the genes and their functions underlying ...

Regulation of Lrp6 phosphorylation.

Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences : CMLS — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Niehrs C, Shen J The Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway plays important roles in embryonic development and tissue homeostasis, and is implicated in human disease. Wnts transduce signals via transmembrane receptors of the Frizzled (Fzd/Fz) family and the low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5/6 (Lrp5/6). A key mechanism in their signal transduction is that Wnts induce Lrp6 signalosomes, which become phosphorylated at multiple conserved sites, notably at PPSPXS motifs. Lrp6 phosphorylation is crucial to beta-catenin stabilization and pathway activation by promoting Axin and Gsk3 recruitment to phosphorylated sites. Here, we summarize how proline-directed kinases (Gsk3, PKA, Pftk1, Grk5/6) and non-proline-directed kinases (CK1 family) act upon Lrp6, how the phosphoryl...

Syndecan-4 promotes cytokinesis in a phosphorylation-dependent manner.

Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences : CMLS — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Keller-Pinter A, Bottka S, Timar J, Kulka J, Katona R, Dux L, Deak F, Szilak L During mitosis, cells detach, and the cell-matrix interactions become restricted. At the completion of cytokinesis, the two daughter cells are still connected transiently by an intercellular bridge (ICB), which is subjected to abscission, as the terminal step of cytokinesis. Cell adhesion to the matrix is mediated by syndecan-4 (SDC4) transmembrane heparan sulfate proteoglycan. Our present work demonstrated that SDC4 promotes cytokinesis in a phosphorylation-dependent manner in MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma cells. The serine179-phosphorylation and the ectodomain shedding of SDC4 changed periodically in a cell cycle-dependent way reaching the maximum at G2/M phases. On the contrary, the phospho-resista...

Control of infection by pyroptosis and autophagy: role of TLR and NLR.

Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences : CMLS — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Bortoluci KR, Medzhitov R Cells can die by distinct mechanisms with particular impacts on the immune response. In addition to apoptosis and necrosis, recent studies lead to characterization of a new pro-inflammatory form of cell death, pyroptosis. TLR and NLR, central innate immune sensors, can control infections by modulating host cell survival. In addition, TLRs can promote the induction of autophagy, thus promoting delivery of infecting pathogens to the lysosomes. On the other hand, activation of some NLR members, especially NLRC4 and NAIP5, leads to the infected cell death by pyroptosis, which is accompanied by secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1beta, IL-18, and IL-33. Data presented here illustrate how the compartmentalization of the innate immune sensors can...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Age-related protective effect of deprenyl on changes in the levels of diagnostic marker enzymes and antioxidant defense enzymes activities in cerebellar tissue in Wistar rats.

Cell Stress and Chaperones — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Subramanian MV, James TJ Antioxidants are free radical scavengers and protect living organisms against oxidative damage to tissues. Experimental evidence implicates oxygen-derived free radicals as important causative agents of aging and the present study was designed to evaluate the age-related effects of deprenyl on the antioxidant defense in the cerebellum of male Wistar rats. Experimental rats of three age groups (6, 12, and 18 months old) were administered with liquid deprenyl (2 mg/kg body weight/day for a period of 15 days i.p) and levels of diagnostic marker enzymes (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase and creatine phosphokinase) in plasma, lipid peroxides, reduced glutathione and activities of glutathione-dependent antioxidant en...

Exploring melanoma's massively parallel universe

Pigment Cell Research — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

(Source: Pigment Cell Research)

Genetic Variants of XRCC1, APE1, and ADPRT Genes and Risk of Bladder Cancer

DNA and Cell Biology — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:02:54 +0100

DNA and Cell Biology , Vol. 0, No. 0. (Source: DNA and Cell Biology)

Replication Stress Interferes with Histone Recycling and Predeposition Marking of New Histones

Molecular Cell — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:00:17 +0100

Zuzana Jasencakova, Annette N.D. Scharf, Katrine Ask, Armelle Corpet, Axel Imhof, Geneviève Almouzni, Anja Groth. To restore chromatin on new DNA during replication, recycling of histones evicted ahead of the fork is combined with new histone deposition. The Asf1 histone chaperone, which buffers excess histon.... (Source: Molecular Cell)

Structure of a Blm10 Complex Reveals Common Mechanisms for Proteasome Binding and Gate Opening

Molecular Cell — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:00:17 +0100

Kianoush Sadre-Bazzaz, Frank G. Whitby, Howard Robinson, Tim Formosa, Christopher P. Hill. The proteasome is an abundant protease that is critically important for numerous cellular pathways. Proteasomes are activated in vitro by three known classes of proteins/complexes, including Blm10.... (Source: Molecular Cell)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Three DNA Polymerases, Recruited by Different Mechanisms, Carry Out NER Repair Synthesis in Human Cells

Molecular Cell — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:00:17 +0100

Tomoo Ogi, Siripan Limsirichaikul, René M. Overmeer, Marcel Volker, Katsuya Takenaka, Ross Cloney, Yuka Nakazawa, Atsuko Niimi, Yoshio Miki, Nicolaas G. Jaspers, Leon H.F. Mullenders, Shunichi Yamashita, Maria I. Fousteri, Alan R. Lehmann. Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is the most versatile DNA repair system that deals with the major UV photoproducts in DNA, as well as many other DNA adducts. The early steps of NER are well under.... (Source: Molecular Cell)

Collaborative Dynamic DNA Scanning by Nucleotide Excision Repair Proteins Investigated by Single- Molecule Imaging of Quantum-Dot-Labeled Proteins

Molecular Cell — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:00:17 +0100

Neil M. Kad, Hong Wang, Guy G. Kennedy, David M. Warshaw, Bennett Van Houten. How DNA repair proteins sort through a genome for damage is one of the fundamental unanswered questions in this field. To address this problem, we uniquely labeled bacterial UvrA and UvrB with dif.... (Source: Molecular Cell)

A Postincision-Deficient TFIIH Causes Replication Fork Breakage and Uncovers Alternative Rad51- or Pol32-Mediated Restart Mechanisms

Molecular Cell — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:00:17 +0100

María Moriel-Carretero, Andrés Aguilera. Homologous recombination is a major double-strand break (DSB) repair mechanism that acts during the S and G2 phases. In contrast, nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a major pathway for the repair.... (Source: Molecular Cell)

tRNA Binds to Cytochrome c and Inhibits Caspase Activation

Molecular Cell — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:00:17 +0100

Yide Mei, Jeongsik Yong, Hongtu Liu, Yigong Shi, Judy Meinkoth, Gideon Dreyfuss, Xiaolu Yang. The specific molecular events that characterize the intrinsic apoptosis pathway have been the subject of intense research due to the pathway's fundamental role in development, homeostasis, and can.... (Source: Molecular Cell)

Topological Layers in the HIV-1 gp120 Inner Domain Regulate gp41 Interaction and CD4-Triggered Conformational Transitions

Molecular Cell — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:00:17 +0100

Andrés Finzi, Shi-Hua Xiang, Beatriz Pacheco, Liping Wang, Jessica Haight, Aemro Kassa, Brenda Danek, Marie Pancera, Peter D. Kwong, Joseph Sodroski. The entry of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) into cells is initiated by binding of the gp120 exterior envelope glycoprotein to the receptor, CD4. How does CD4 binding trigger conformational c.... (Source: Molecular Cell)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Tie1-Tie2 Interactions Mediate Functional Differences between Angiopoietin Ligands

Molecular Cell — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:00:17 +0100

Tom C.M. Seegar, Becca Eller, Dorothea Tzvetkova-Robev, Momchil V. Kolev, Scott C. Henderson, Dimitar B. Nikolov, William A. Barton. The Tie family of endothelial-specific receptor tyrosine kinases is essential for cell proliferation, migration, and survival during angiogenesis. Despite considerable similarity, experiments with.... (Source: Molecular Cell)

PP2AT61ɛ Is an Inhibitor of MAP4K3 in Nutrient Signaling to mTOR

Molecular Cell — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:00:17 +0100

Lijun Yan, Virginie Mieulet, Darren Burgess, Greg M. Findlay, Katherine Sully, Julia Procter, Jozef Goris, Veerle Janssens, Nick A. Morrice, Richard F. Lamb. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is activated by a variety of stimuli, including nutrients such as glucose and amino acids. The Ste20 family kinase MAP4K3 is regulated by am.... (Source: Molecular Cell)

MicroRNA-451 Regulates LKB1/AMPK Signaling and Allows Adaptation to Metabolic Stress in Glioma Cells

Molecular Cell — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:00:17 +0100

Jakub Godlewski, Michal O. Nowicki, Agnieszka Bronisz, Gerard Nuovo, Jeff Palatini, Michael De Lay, James Van Brocklyn, Michael C. Ostrowski, E. Antonio Chiocca, Sean E. Lawler. To sustain tumor growth, cancer cells must be able to adapt to fluctuations in energy availability. We have identified a single microRNA that controls glioma cell proliferation, migration, and res.... (Source: Molecular Cell)

Loss of the Tumor Suppressor CYLD Enhances Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling through K63-Linked Ubiquitination of Dvl

Molecular Cell — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:00:17 +0100

Daniele V.F. Tauriello, Andrea Haegebarth, Ineke Kuper, Mariola J. Edelmann, Marre Henraat, Marijke R. Canninga-van Dijk, Benedikt M. Kessler, Hans Clevers, Madelon M. Maurice. The mechanism by which Wnt receptors transduce signals to activate downstream β-catenin-mediated target gene transcription remains incompletely understood but involves Frizzled (Fz) receptor-media.... (Source: Molecular Cell)

Box H/ACA Small Ribonucleoproteins

Molecular Cell — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:00:17 +0100

Tamás Kiss, Eléonore Fayet-Lebaron, Beáta E. Jády. Box H/ACA RNAs represent an abundant, evolutionarily conserved class of small noncoding RNAs. All H/ACA RNAs associate with a common set of proteins, and they function as ribonucleoprotein (RNP) e.... (Source: Molecular Cell)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

The Tango of Histone Marks and Chaperones at Replication Fork

Molecular Cell — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:00:17 +0100

Karina B. Falbo, Xuetong Shen. Nucleosomes are disassembled during DNA replication. How histone modifications and histone chaperones collaborate to reassemble nucleosomes on replicated DNA is explored by Jasencakova et al. (201.... (Source: Molecular Cell)

An RNA-Mediated Silencing Pathway Utilizes the Coordinated Synthesis of Two Distinct Populations of siRNA

Molecular Cell — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:00:17 +0100

Eleanor M. Maine. In this issue of Molecular Cell, Gent et al. (2010) describe the participation of two siRNA populations, generated by two different RNA-directed RNA polymerases, in a pathway to silence exp.... (Source: Molecular Cell)

Transferring Death: A Role for tRNA in Apoptosis Regulation

Molecular Cell — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:00:17 +0100

Bram J. van Raam, Guy S. Salvesen. Cytochrome c from mitochondria significantly accelerates the apoptotic process. In this issue of Molecular Cell, Mei et al. show that cytochrome c is itself regulated by bindi.... (Source: Molecular Cell)

CYLD Tidies Up Dishevelled Signaling

Molecular Cell — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:00:16 +0100

David Komander. An increasing number of cellular signaling pathways utilize protein ubiquitination for activation of signaling cascades. In this issue of Molecular Cell, Maurice and colleagues demonstrate .... (Source: Molecular Cell)

A comprehensive review of surface modification for neural cell adhesion and patterning.

Cell Research — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Khan S, Newaz G This comprehensive literature review covers recent studies on patterning neuronal cells by topographical modifications on material surfaces targeted for neural prostheses. We explore different materials that are used as the candidate surface for neuronal cell adhesion. Cell-material interactions are identified in both cases where the material surface was in direct contact with cells and where the materials were coated to facilitate cell adhesion. Commonly used coating materials and coating methods are discussed. The existing hypotheses behind mechanism of the response of neuronal cells to a specific topography are presented briefly. A few selected important studies have been presented to show the range of techniques employed and the extent of the research area....

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

TGN golgins, Rabs and cytoskeleton: regulating the Golgi trafficking highways.

Trends in Cell Biology — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Goud B, Gleeson PA The architecture of the Golgi apparatus is intimately linked to its role in regulating membrane trafficking. The recruitment of peripheral membrane proteins, in particular golgins and small G proteins has emerged as a key to the understanding of the organization and the dynamics of this organelle. There have been considerable recent advances in defining the structures and binding partners of golgins, and their contribution to membrane-mediated biological processes. In this paper, we review the proposed roles for golgins with a focus on the golgins of the trans-Golgi network (TGN). We explore the potential for TGN golgins, acting as scaffold molecules, to co-ordinate the regulation of TGN structure and function. PMID: 20227882 [PubMed - as supplied by pub...

Cell biology through proteomics -ad astra per alia porci.

Trends in Cell Biology — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Bergeron JJ, Au CE, Desjardins M, McPherson PS, Nilsson T Isolated subcellular fractions have been instrumental in elucidating cell function. The use of such fractions for the identification and biochemical characterization of subcellular organelles, combined with cell- free systems, has provided key insights into the function and machineries of organelles, including those involved in vesicle transport, quality control and protein sorting. Despite their obvious utility, popular cell biology has come to regard in vitro-based approaches as inferior to in vivo-based approaches. Usual criticisms are contamination, non-representative processes and an inability to recreate the dynamic processes seen in vivo. In a similar way, proteomics has been viewed with reservation. Despite this...

C-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) Regulates Serotonin-mediated Proliferation and Migration of Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells.

American Journal of Physiology. Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In this report we demonstrate that JNK activity is necessary for serotonin (5-HT) induced proliferation and migration of bovine pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Stimulation with 5-HT was found to lead to activation of JNK with a maximal activation at 10 min. Inhibition of JNK with its specific inhibitor SP600125, or dominant-negative form (DN-JNK) significantly reduced 5-HT-stimulated [(3)H] thymidine incorporation and Cyclin D 1 expression. A similar inhibitory effect on SMC migration produced by 5-HT, as detected by a wound healing assay, was observed with inhibition of JNK. Furthermore, inhibition of 5-HT receptors 1B and 2A, but not inhibition of the 5-HT transporter, blocked 5-HT induced JNK activation. Inhibition of PI3 kinase with LY294002 and Wortmanin had little or n...

VEGF in the lung: a role for novel isoforms.

American Journal of Physiology. Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Varet J, Douglas SK, Gilmartin L, Medford AR, Bates DO, Harper SJ, Millar AB The presence of significant levels of VEGF (Vascular endothelial cell growth factor) in the normal lung that fall with injury, have led to controversy over the role of this potent molecule in lung physiology and disease. We hypothesized that some of the VEGF previously detected in normal lung may be of the anti-angiogenic family (VEGFxxxb) with significant potential effects on VEGF bioactivity. VEGFxxxb protein expression was assessed by indirect immunohistochemistry in normal and ARDS tissue. Expression of VEGFxxxb was also detected by immunoblotting in normal lung tissue, primary human alveolar type II (ATII) cells and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) normal subjects and by ELISA in normal, "at ri...

Adenosine Protected Against Pulmonary Edema through Transporter- and Receptor A2-Mediated Endothelial Barrier Enhancement.

American Journal of Physiology. Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Lu Q, Harrington EO, Newton J, Casserly B, Radin G, Warburton R, Zhou Y, Blackburn MR, Rounds S We have previously demonstrated that adenosine plus homocysteine enhanced endothelial basal barrier function and protected against agonist-induced barrier dysfunction in vitro through attenuation of RhoA activation by inhibition of isoprenylcysteine-O-carboxyl methyltransferase (ICMT). In the current study, we tested the effect of elevated adenosine on pulmonary endothelial barrier function in vitro and in vivo. We noted that adenosine alone dose-dependently enhanced endothelial barrier function. While adenosine receptor A1 or A3 antagonists were ineffective, an adenosine transporter inhibitor, NBTI, or a combination of DPMX and MRS1754, antagonists for adenosine receptor A2A and A2...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Domain analysis of alpha-actinin reveals new aspects of its association with F-actin during cytokinesis.

Experimental Cell Research — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Low SH, Mukhina S, Srinivas V, Ng CZ, Murata-Hori M alpha-actinin is a rod-shaped actin cross-linking protein composed of actin binding domain, spectrin-like repeats of the central rod domain and the EF-hand domain. Cytokinesis in mammalian cells involves remodeling of equatorial actin filaments (F-actin) mediated by alpha-actinin. However, it remains unknown how alpha-actinin interacts with F-actin at the cleavage furrow. To address this question, we have conducted functional analysis of the mutant that either lacks the ability to cross-link F-actin (ABD) or to bind to F-actin (DeltaABD). We found that equatorial localization of alpha-actinin requires both its F-actin binding and cross-linking activities. Unexpectedly, we also found that overexpression of DeltaABD-GFP but not...

Long- but not short-term heat acclimation produces an apoptosis-resistant cardiac phenotype: a lesson from heat stress and ischemic/reperfusion insults.

Cell Stress and Chaperones — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, the elevated Bcl-X(L)/Bad ratio and decreased cyt c leakage to the cytosol are insufficient to protect the heart and interactions with additional cytoprotective pathways involved in acclimation (elevated HSP70, ROS, and sarcolemmal adaptations to abolish extrinsic apoptosis pathways) are required to induce the apoptosis-resistant AC phenotype. PMID: 20221856 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Cell Stress and Chaperones)

N-terminally fusion of Her2/neu to HSP70 decreases efficiency of Her2/neu DNA vaccine.

Cell Stress and Chaperones — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In this study, we examined if N-terminally fusion of Her2/neu to HSP70 could also improve efficiency of Her2/neu DNA vaccine. Therefore, mice with an established Her2/neu expressing tumor were immunized with DNA vaccine consisting of extracellular and trans-membrane domain (EC+TM) of rat Her2/neu alone or N-terminally fused to HSP70 and immune response was evaluated. Administration of rat Her2/neu led to partial control of tumor progression. Surprisingly, fusion of HSP70 to N-terminal of rat Her2/neu led to tumor progression. Our result proposes that fusion direction of biologic adjuvant is an important consideration when Her2/neu is used. PMID: 20224916 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Cell Stress and Chaperones)

Cell death and the well of the organism.

Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences : CMLS — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Amarante-Mendes GP PMID: 20224989 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences : CMLS)

Heat shock protein gp96 and NAD(P)H oxidase 4 play key roles in Toll-like receptor 4-activated apoptosis during renal ischemia/reperfusion injury

Cell Death and Differentiation — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Heat shock protein gp96 and NAD(P)H oxidase 4 play key roles in Toll-like receptor 4-activated apoptosis during renal ischemia/reperfusion injury Cell Death and Differentiation advance online publication, March 12, 2010. doi:10.1038/cdd.2010.26 Authors: S Ben Mkaddem, E Pedruzzi, C Werts, N Coant, M Bens, F Cluzeaud, J M Goujon, E Ogier-Denis & A Vandewalle (Source: Cell Death and Differentiation)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

The antiapoptotic protein, FLIP, is regulated by heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K and correlates with poor overall survival of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients

Cell Death and Differentiation — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: L-C Chen, I-C Chung, C Hsueh, N-M Tsang, L-M Chi, Y Liang, C-C Chen, L-J Wang & Y-S Chang (Source: Cell Death and Differentiation)

A complex but promising therapy

Pigment Cell Research — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:15:26 +0100

(Source: Pigment Cell Research)

Assessment of Genetic Damage in Buccal Epithelium Cells of Painters: Micronucleus, Nuclear Changes, and Repair Index

DNA and Cell Biology — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:17:43 +0100

DNA and Cell Biology , Vol. 0, No. 0. (Source: DNA and Cell Biology)

Time-Lapse Analysis of Cell Death in Mammalian and Fungal Cells

DNA and Cell Biology — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:01:55 +0100

DNA and Cell Biology , Vol. 0, No. 0. (Source: DNA and Cell Biology)

A Functional Promoter Polymorphism in NFKB1 Increases Susceptibility to Endometriosis

DNA and Cell Biology — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:36:37 +0100

DNA and Cell Biology , Vol. 0, No. 0. (Source: DNA and Cell Biology)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Functional Characterization of Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Human Undifferentiated Embryonic-Cell Transcription Factor 1 Gene

DNA and Cell Biology — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:32:53 +0100

DNA and Cell Biology , Vol. 0, No. 0. (Source: DNA and Cell Biology)

TNF-alpha and IL-1beta increase Ca(2+) leak from the sarcoplasmic reticulum and susceptibility to arrhythmia in rat ventricular myocytes.

Cell Calcium — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Duncan DJ, Yang Z, Hopkins PM, Steele DS, Harrison SM Sepsis is associated with ventricular dysfunction and increased incidence of atrial and ventricular arrhythmia however the underlying pro-arrhythmic mechanisms are unknown. Serum levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) are elevated during sepsis and affect Ca(2+) regulation. We investigated whether pro-inflammatory cytokines disrupt cellular Ca(2+) cycling leading to reduced contractility, but also increase the probability of pro-arrhythmic spontaneous Ca(2+) release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Isolated rat ventricular myocytes were exposed to TNF-alpha (0.05ngml(-1)) and IL-1beta (2ngml(-1)) for 3 hr and then loaded with fura-2 or fluo-3 to record the intracellular Ca(2...

A New Regulation of IL-6 Production in Adult Cardiomyocytes by beta-Adrenergic and IL-1beta Receptors and Induction of Cellular Hypertrophy by IL-6 Trans-Signalling.

Cellular Signalling — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We report that ISO and IL-1 synergistically enhanced IL-6 gene expression and secretion. The synergistic effect of ISO was mimicked by cAMP elevating agents and involved the G(s) protein/cAMP/PKA signalling pathway, but not the exchange factor EPAC. To evaluate the contribution of IL-6 to cellular hypertrophy, we examined the signalling pathways stimulated by the membrane-bound IL-6 receptor (IL-6R), and the IL-6 soluble receptor (sIL-6R) involved in the mechanism named IL-6 trans-signalling. The IL-6/sIL-6R complex promoted a rapid and persistent phosphorylation of STAT3(Tyr705) in ARVMs. Moreover, IL-6 trans-signalling increased protein synthesis, c-fos gene expression and B-type natriuretic peptide secretion, three markers of cardiac hypertrophy. IL-6 trans-signalling also increased cel...

Subtype-specific role of phospholipase C-beta in bradykinin and LPA signaling through differential binding of different PDZ scaffold proteins.

Cellular Signalling — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In this study, we examined the possibility of the differential coupling of each PLC-beta subtype to GPCRs, and explored the molecular mechanism underlying the specificity. Firstly, we found that PLC-beta1 and PLC-beta3 are activated by bradykinin (BK) or lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), respectively. BK-triggered phosphoinositides hydrolysis and subsequent Ca(2+) mobilization were abolished specifically by PLC-beta1 silencing, whereas LPA-triggered events were by PLC-beta3 silencing. Secondly, we showed the evidence that PDZ scaffold proteins is a key mediator for the selective coupling between PLC-beta subtype and GPCR. We found PAR-3 mediates physical interaction between PLC-beta1 and BK receptor, while NHERF2 does between PLC-beta3 and LPA(2) receptor. Consistently, the silencing of PAR-3 o...

Mitogen-activated protein kinase p38 and MK2, MK3 and MK5: Ménage à trois or ménage à quatre?

Cellular Signalling — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Mitogen-activated protein kinase p38 and MK2, MK3 and MK5: Ménage à trois or ménage à quatre? Cell Signal. 2010 Mar 11; Authors: Shiryaev A, Moens U The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathways play pivotal roles in cellular processes such as proliferation, apoptosis, gene regulation, differentiation, and cell motility. The typical mammalian MAPK pathways ERK1/2, JNK, p38(MAPK), and ERK5 operate through a concatenation of three successive phosphorylation events mediated by a MAPK kinase kinase, a MAPK kinase, and a MAPK. MAPKs phosphorylate substrates with distinct functions, including other protein kinases referred to as MAPK-activated protein kinases. One family of related MAPK-activated protein kinases includes MK2, MK3, and MK5. While ...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Soluble adhesion molecules in human cancers: Sources and fates.

European Journal of Cell Biology — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: van Kilsdonk JW, van Kempen LC, van Muijen GN, Ruiter DJ, Swart GW Adhesion molecules endow tumor cells with the necessary cell-cell contacts and cell-matrix interactions. As such, adhesion molecules are involved in cell signalling, proliferation and tumor growth. Rearrangements in the adhesion repertoire allow tumor cells to migrate, invade and form metastases. Besides these membrane-bound adhesion molecules several soluble adhesion molecules are detected in the supernatant of tumor cell lines and patient body fluids. Truncated soluble adhesion molecules can be generated by several conventional mechanisms, including alternative splicing of mRNA transcripts, chromosomal translocation, and extracellular proteolytic ectodomain shedding. Secretion of vesicles (ectosomes and exoso...

Commensal pathogens, with a focus on Streptococcus pneumoniae, and interactions with the human host.

Experimental Cell Research — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Henriques-Normark B, Normark S Many important pathogens have humans as their normal ecological niche where healthy carriage dominates over disease. The ability of these commensal pathogens, such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, to cause disease depends on a series of microbial factors as well as of genetic and environmental factors in the human host affecting the clearing capacity mediated by the innate and adaptive immune system. This delicate interplay between microbe and host affects not only the likelihood for a commensal pathogen to cause disease, but also disease type and disease severity. PMID: 20227406 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Experimental Cell Research)

Phytoplankton distribution during two contrasted summers in a Mediterranean harbour: combining automated submersible flow cytometry with conventional techniques.

Cell Research — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Thyssen M, Beker B, Ediger D, Yilmaz D, Garcia N, Denis M Automated in situ flow cytometry, high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), optical microscopy and fluorometry were combined to monitor phytoplankton over two summer periods (2005 and 2006). In 2006, temperature was higher and nutrients lower than in 2005, generating differences in the phytoplankton assemblages (i.e., abundance and structure). Pigment-size classes based on daily HPLC analysis provided evidence for higher proportions of picoplankton and nanoplankton with higher biomass in 2005 and a dominance of microplankton with lower biomass in 2006, the latter with lower specific diversity, as evidenced by weekly microscopy analyses. Total chlorophyll a estimations from fluorometry measurements recorded every 30 mi...

Nanochemoprevention by Bioactive Food Components: A Perspective.

Cell Research — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study laid the foundation of nanochemoprevention by bioactive food components. Since oral consumption is the most desirable and acceptable form of delivery of bioactive food components, it will be important to develop nanoparticles containing bioactive food components that are suitable for oral consumption for which experiments are underway in this laboratory. PMID: 20221894 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Cell Research)

Doxorubicin conjugated to D-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate and folic acid as a prodrug for targeted chemotherapy.

Cell Research — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Anbharasi V, Cao N, Feng SS This research developed a prodrug strategy to conjugate doxorubicin (DOX) to D-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate (TPGS) and folic acid (FOL) for targeted chemotherapy to enhance the therapeutic effects and reduce the side effects of the drug. We synthesized two conjugates, TPGS-DOX and TPGS-DOX-FOL, to quantitatively evaluate the advantages of TPGS conjugation and FOL conjugation through passive and active targeting effects. The successful conjugation was confirmed by (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The in vitro drug release was found pH dependent, which is in favor of cancer treatment. The in vitro cellular uptake and cytotoxicity were evaluated with MCF-7 breast cancer cells. I...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Role of protein contaminants in the immunogenicity of alginates.

Cell Research — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In conclusions, these results suggest that removing residual protein contamination may decrease the immunogenicity of certain alginate preparations. The measurement of proteins could be used as a screening method for evaluating alginate preparations. (c) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2010. PMID: 20225212 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Cell Research)

Bone repair by cell-seeded 3D-bioplotted composite scaffolds made of collagen treated tricalciumphosphate or tricalciumphosphate-chitosan-collagen hydrogel or PLGA in ovine critical-sized calvarial defects.

Cell Research — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Haberstroh K, Ritter K, Kuschnierz J, Bormann KH, Kaps C, Carvalho C, Mülhaupt R, Sittinger M, Gellrich NC The aim of this study was to investigate the osteogenic effect of three different cell-seeded 3D-bioplotted scaffolds in a ovine calvarial critical-size defect model. The choice of scaffold-materials was based on their applicability for 3D-bioplotting and respective possibility to produce tailor-made scaffolds for the use in cranio-facial surgery for the replacement of complex shaped boneparts. Scaffold raw-materials are known to be osteoinductive when being cell-seeded [poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)] or having components with osteoinductive properties as tricalciumphosphate (TCP) or collagen (Col) or chitosan. The scaffold-materials PLGA, TCP/Col, and HYDR (TC...

Changes in chondrogenic phenotype and gene expression profiles associated with the in vitro expansion of human synovium-derived cells.

Cell Research — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Han HS, Lee S, Kim JH, Seong SC, Lee MC We undertook this study to characterize changes in the proliferative capacities, chondrogenic phenotypes, and gene expression profiles of human synovium-derived progenitor cells from osteoarthritic patients during in vitro expansion. Cells isolated from osteoarthritic synovia were cultured, and growth rates during serial passages were evaluated. Surface molecule expressions were determined by flow cytometry and cytogenetic analyses were performed. After chondrogenic differentiation in cell pellets, we evaluated type II collagen and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) synthesis. To assess whether the in vitro expansion of synovium-derived cells affects gene expression, we performed microarray analyses on cells at passage 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8. Synoviu...

Mouse treadmill running enhances tendons by expanding the pool of tendon stem cells (TSCs) and TSC-related cellular production of collagen.

Cell Research — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study aims to explore these mechanisms by using a mouse treadmill running model to examine the effects of exercise on newly discovered tendon stem cells (TSCs). After treadmill running, patellar TSCs (PTSCs) and Achilles TSCs (ATSCs) were isolated from the mice, and their proliferation was measured in vitro. We found that treadmill running nearly doubled proliferation rates of both PTSCs and ATSCs compared to cage control mice. Moreover, using a mixed tendon cell culture consisting of TSCs and tenocytes, cellular production of collagen was found to increase by 70% and 200% in PTSCs and ATSCs, respectively, from the treadmill running group over cells from the cage control group. These findings suggest that exercise exerts its anabolic effects on tendons at least in part by increasing p...

Cross-linking affects cellular condensation and chondrogenesis in type II collagen-GAG scaffolds seeded with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Cell Research — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The objective of this study was to investigate the association of aggregation (condensation) of mesenchymal stem cell (MSCs) and chondrogenesis in vitro. Previous work with chondrocytes indicated that the cross-link density and related cell-mediated contraction of collagen scaffolds significantly affects cartilaginous tissue formation within the cell-seeded construct. Based on this finding, we hypothesized that the cell-aggregating effect of the contraction of MSC-seeded collagen scaffolds of lower cross-link density favors chondrogenesis; scaffolds of higher cross-link density, which resist cell-mediated contraction, would demonstrate a lower cell number density (i.e., subcritical packing density) and less cartilage formation. Type II collagen-GAG scaffolds, chemically cross-linked to ach...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

The activities of MMP-9 and total gelatinase respond differently to substrate coating and cyclic mechanical stretching in fibroblasts and myoblasts.

Cell Biology International — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Cha MC, Purslow PP The current study was designed to investigate whether the activities of total gelatinase and collagenase (TGC) as well as matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9, gelatinase B) secreted by the cultured fibroblasts and myoblasts were influenced by the specific extracellular substrates and by cyclic mechanical strain. Fibroblasts (Rat 2) and myoblasts (C2C12) were cultured with either fibronectin, laminin or collagen type I for 24 hours and applied with or without a biaxial deformation at 1 Hz using the Flexcell FX-4000 system. MMP-9 activity was increased in fibroblasts when the cells were in contact with fibronectin and laminin while in myoblasts, enhanced activity of the secreted enzyme was only observed when collagen was present. TGC activity expressed from myob...

A decrease in cyclin B1 levels leads to polyploidization in DNA-damage induced senescence.

Cell Biology International — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Kikuchi I, Nakayama Y, Morinaga T, Fukumoto Y, Yamaguchi N Adriamycin, an anthracycline antibiotic, has been used for the treatment of various types of tumors. Adriamycin induces at least two distinct types of growth repression, such as senescence and apoptosis, in a concentration-dependent manner. Cellular senescence is a condition in which cells are unable to proliferate further, and senescent cells frequently show polyploidy. Although abrogation of cell division is thought to correlate with polyploidization, the mechanisms underlying induction of polyploidization in senescent cells are largely unclear. We wished, therefore, to explore a role of cyclin B1 level in polyploidization of adriamycin-induced senescent cells. A subcytotoxic concentration of Adriamycin induced polyp...

TNF-alpha reduces the activity of the Na+/K+ ATPase in LLC-PK1 by activating caspases and JNK and inhibiting NF-kappaB.

Cell Biology International — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Ramia N, Kreydiyyeh SI TNF-alpha has recently been implicated in diabetic nephropathy which is usually accompanied with higher sodium retention. The kidneys play a major role in sodium homeostasis by regulating tubular sodium reabsorption, a process geared by the sodium gradient established by Na+/K+ ATPase. This work aimed at investigating the effect of TNF on the ATPase and consequently its implication in kidney malfunction using LLC-PK1 cells. The cytokine reduced significantly the activity of the Na+/K+ ATPase. In an attempt to elucidate the signaling pathway involved, PDTC, SP600125 and FK009, respective inhibitors of NF-kappaB, c-JNK and caspases were added to the cells in presence and absence of TNF and changes in the activity of JNK and PDTC were determined. The activi...

Temporal alterations in cardiac fibroblast function following induction of pressure overload

Cell and Tissue Research — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:28:48 +0100

Abstract Increases in cardiovascular load (pressure overload) are known to elicit ventricular remodeling including cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and interstitial fibrosis. While numerous studies have focused on the mechanisms of myocyte hypertrophy, comparatively little is known regarding the response of the interstitial fibroblasts to increased cardiovascular load. Fibroblasts are the most numerous cell type in the mammalian myocardium and have long been recognized as producing the majority of the myocardial extracellular matrix. It is only now becoming appreciated that other aspects of fibroblast behavior are important to overall cardiac function. The present studies were performed to examine the temporal alterations in fibroblast activity in response to increased cardiovascu...

“Silenced” polydendrocytes: a new cell type within the oligodendrocyte progenitor cell population?

Cell and Tissue Research — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:28:47 +0100

Abstract Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) were first described more than two decades ago. Novel labeling techniques have shown them to be cells with more than just progenitor functions, with their classification as a fourth glial cell type in addition to astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglial cells. Another term used for this cell type is polydendrocytes, owing to both their morphology and to the evolving knowledge about their diverse functions. Recently, an exclusive hallmark of neurons—the generation of action potentials—became debatable, because a subset of polydendrocytes was reported to generate action potentials in response to adequate stimuli. The new technique of inducible reporter gene expression has brought new insights into the fate and function...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Interleukin-1α treatment of meniscal explants stimulates the production and release of aggrecanase-generated, GAG-substituted aggrecan products and also the release of pre-formed, aggrecanase-generated G1 and m-calpain-generated G1-G2

Cell and Tissue Research — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:28:46 +0100

Abstract Pro-inflammatory cytokines induce meniscal matrix degradation and inhibition of endogenous repair mechanisms, but the pathogenic mechanisms behind this are mostly unknown. Therefore, we investigated details of interleukin-1 (IL-1α)-induced aggrecan turnover in mature meniscal tissue explants. Fibro-cartilagenous disks (3 mm diameter × 1 mm thickness) were isolated from the central, weight-bearing region of menisci from 2-year-old cattle. After 3 or 6 days of IL-1α-treatment, GAG loss (DMMB assay), biosynthetic activity ([35SO4]-sulfate and [3H]-proline incorporation), gene expression (quantitative RT-PCR) and the abundance (zymography, Western blot) of matrix-degrading enzymes and specific aggrecan products were determined. Meniscal fibrocarti...

Inhibition of JAK/STAT signaling pathway prevents high-glucose-induced increase in endothelin-1 synthesis in human endothelial cells

Cell and Tissue Research — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:28:45 +0100

Abstract Emerging evidence demonstrates the involvement of endothelin-1 (ET-1) in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disorders associated with diabetes mellitus. The molecular mechanisms accountable for the increased production of ET-1 are not completely defined. The Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling pathway is an essential pathogenic mechanism leading to endothelial cell dysfunction. Our aim has been to investigate the role of JAK/STAT in the regulation of ET-1 synthesis in human endothelial cells (EAhy926 cells line). EAhy926 cells were exposed to normal (5 mM) or high (25 mM) glucose concentrations in the presence/absence of various JAK/STAT inhibitors. Using real-time polymerase chain reaction, enzyme-linked...

Plate-like permanent dental laminae of upper jaw dentition in adult gobiid fish, Sicyopterus japonicus

Cell and Tissue Research — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:28:43 +0100

Abstract Sicyopterus japonicus (Teleostei, Gobiidae) possesses a unique upper jaw dentition different from that known for any other teleosts. In the adults, many (up to 30) replacement teeth, from initiation to attachment, are arranged orderly in a semicircular-like strand within a capsule of connective tissue on the labial side of each premaxillary bone. We have applied histological, ultrastructural, and three-dimensional imaging from serial sections to obtain insights into the distribution and morphological features of the dental lamina in the upper jaw dentition of adult S. japonicus. The adult fish has numerous permanent dental laminae, each of which is an infolding of the oral epithelium at the labial side of the functional tooth and forms a thin plate-like structure...

Editorial Board

Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:21:38 +0100

(Source: Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology)

The structural insights of stem cell factor receptor (c-Kit) interaction with tyrosine phosphatase-2 (Shp-2): An in silico analysis.

Cell Research — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:24:03 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: This study predicts that crucial hydrogen bonding between N-sh2 domain of Shp-1 and Kit activation loop can modulate the negative regulation of c-Kit kinase by Shp-1. Thus, this finding is expected to play a significant role in designing suitable gain-of-function c-Kit mutants for inducing conditional proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells. PMID: 20205869 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Cell Research)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

The 26S Proteasome Function and Hsp90 Activity Involved in the Regulation of HsfA2 Expression in Response to Oxidative Stress

Plant and Cell Physiology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:01:15 +0100

Heat shock transcription factor A2 (HsfA2) is induced under environmental stress and regulates transcription of various defense-related genes. Thus HsfA2 plays an important role in induction of defenses against different types of environmental stress, but its mode of regulation remains unknown. To clarify the signal transduction pathway involved in the regulation of HsfA2 expression, we investigated the effect of MG132, a 26S proteasome inhibitor, or geldanamycin (GDA), a heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitor, on the transcription of HsfA2 and its targets, Hsp18.1-CI and ascorbate peroxidase 2 (Apx2), in Arabidopsis T87 cells. The levels of transcripts were significantly increased by treatment with MG132 or GDA. Overexpression of a dexamethazone-inducible dominant-negative form of Hsp90....

A Rice Stromal Processing Peptidase Regulates Chloroplast and Root Development

Plant and Cell Physiology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:01:15 +0100

In this study, we isolated a rice mutant showing leaf chlorosis at the early seedling stage but inhibition of root growth during the whole growth period. Genetic analysis demonstrates that the phenotypes of the mutant were caused by a recessive single gene mutation. The mutated gene was cloned by map-based cloning, and was shown to encode an SPP. Sequence analysis showed a glutamate deletion in the highly conserved C-terminus of SPP in the mutant. The mutation of SPP in the mutant was verified by transgenic complementation. SPP is constitutively expressed in all tissues. Subcellular localization analysis indicates that SPP is targeted to the chloroplast. The expression of some genes associated with chloroplast development was decreased in young seedlings of the spp mutant, but not in 14-da...

Two R2R3-MYB Genes, Homologs of Petunia AN2, Regulate Anthocyanin Biosyntheses in Flower Tepals, Tepal Spots and Leaves of Asiatic Hybrid Lily

Plant and Cell Physiology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:01:15 +0100

Anthocyanins are secondary metabolites that contribute to colors of flowers, fruits and leaves. Asiatic hybrid lily (Lilium spp.) accumulates cyanidin anthocyanins in flower tepals, tepal spots and leaves of juvenile shoots. To clarify their mechanisms of regulation of anthocyanin pigmentation, two full-length cDNAs of R2R3-MYB (LhMYB6 and LhMYB12) were isolated from the anthocyanin-accumulating tepals of cultivar ‘Montreux’. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequences indicated they have homology with petunia AN2, homologous sequences of which had not been isolated in species of monocots. Yeast two-hybrid analysis showed that LhMYB6 and LhMYB12 interacted with the Lilium hybrid basic helix–loop–helix 2 (LhbHLH2) protein. Transient expression analysis indicated tha...

Genome-Wide Analyses of Early Translational Responses to Elevated Temperature and High Salinity in Arabidopsis thaliana

Plant and Cell Physiology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:01:15 +0100

Abiotic stress influences the translation of mRNAs in plants. To gain a global view of the early translational response to abiotic stress, we investigated genome-wide changes in mRNA translation in Arabidopsis thaliana suspension cell cultures exposed to brief periods of two types of stress: elevated temperature (37°C) and high salinity (200 mM NaCl). Microarray analyses revealed that polysome association of most transcripts, which were monitored by using polysomal- and non-polysomal-associated RNA pools, was variably depressed by both stresses within 10 min. We also inspected coordination of changes in translational profiles with transcriptional profiles, and found no simple correlations between the changes in these two processes under both stresses. In addition, we uncovered that the...

Genetic and Physiological Characterization of the Arlequin Insertional Mutant Reveals a Key Regulator of Reproductive Development in Tomato

Plant and Cell Physiology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:01:15 +0100

The genetic and phenotypic characterization of a new tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) insertional mutant, Arlequin (Alq) is reported. Alq mutant plants were affected in reproductive development and their sepals were homeotically converted into fleshy fruit-like organs. Molecular analysis demonstrated that a single copy of T-DNA was present in the mutant genome while genetic analysis confirmed that the mutant phenotype co-segregated with the T-DNA insertion and was inherited as a monogenic semi-dominant trait. The histological and scanning electron microscope analyses revealed cell identity changes in both external and internal tissues of Alq sepals. Flowers developed by Alq homozygous plants showed a severe mutant phenotype, since after fruit set, not only did the sepals become succulent but ...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Specificity of Polyamine Effects on NaCl-induced Ion Flux Kinetics and Salt Stress Amelioration in Plants

Plant and Cell Physiology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:01:15 +0100

Polyamine (PA) levels in plants increase considerably under saline conditions. Because such an increase is believed to be beneficial for stress resistance, exogenous application of PAs has often been advocated as a means of ameliorating the detrimental effects of salinity. Results, however, are rather controversial, ranging from a significant amelioration to being ineffective or even toxic. The reasons for this controversy remain elusive. The ability of a root to retain K+ in the presence of NaCl was used as a physiological indicator to evaluate the ameliorative effects of PA. Pre-treatment with 1 mM Spm4+ (spermine), Spd3+ (spermidine) or Put2+ (putrescine) prevented salt-induced K+ leak only in the mature root zone of hydroponically grown maize and Arabidopsis. In contrast, in the distal...

Biochemical Characterization of Calcineurin B-Like-Interacting Protein Kinase in Vicia Guard Cells

Plant and Cell Physiology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:01:15 +0100

Protein phosphorylation is crucial in the signaling of guard cells in response to various factors, including light, ABA and CO2, and calcium plays a central role in these signaling processes. Despite extensive studies on the functional role of Ca2+-regulated protein kinases in plants, relatively little is known about the biochemical properties of the kinases in guard cells. To investigate this, we isolated the VfCIPK1 [Vicia faba calcineurin B-like calcium-binding protein (CBL)-interacting protein kinase 1] cDNA from guard cells of Vicia faba L., which encodes a Ca2+-regulated protein kinase that belongs to the SnRK3 subgroup, and characterized VfCIPK1 at the biochemical level. VfCIPK1 genes were expressed in guard cells and roots, but not in mesophyll cells. The VfCIPK1 protein was locali...

Characterization of Two Soybean (Glycine max L.) LEA IV Proteins by Circular Dichroism and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry

Plant and Cell Physiology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:01:15 +0100

Late embryogenesis-abundant (LEA) proteins, accumulating to a high level during the late stages of seed development, may play a role as osmoprotectants. However, the functions and mechanisms of LEA proteins remained to be elucidated. Five major groups of LEA proteins have been described. In the present study, we report on the characterization of two members of soybean LEA IV proteins, basic GmPM1 and acidic GmPM28, by circular dichroism and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The spectra of both proteins revealed limited defined secondary structures in the fully hydrated state. Thus, the soybean LEA IV proteins are members of ‘natively unfolded proteins’. GmPM1 or GmPM28 proteins showed a conformational change under hydrophobic or dry conditions. After fast or slow drying,...

The Function of LPR1 is Controlled by an Element in the Promoter and is Independent of SUMO E3 Ligase SIZ1 in Response to Low Pi Stress in Arabidopsis thaliana

Plant and Cell Physiology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:01:15 +0100

In Arabidopsis thaliana, there exist many typical responses to low phosphate (LP) stress, such as inhibition of primary root elongation, proliferation of lateral roots and accumulation of anthocyanin in leaves. The physiological, genetic and molecular mechanisms of these developmental responses remain undefined. We have isolated a phosphorus starvation-insensitive (psi) mutant. The mutant shows impaired inhibition of primary root growth, reduction of root hair growth and reduction of anthocyanin accumulation compared with the wild-type (WT) plants under an LP level. CycB1;1::GUS (cyclin B1;1::β-glucuronidase) staining suggests that the mutant has a higher ability to maintain cell elongation and cell division than the WT. The genetic analysis and gene cloning indicate that psi is a new...

An Arabidopsis Hydrophilic Ca2+-Binding Protein with a PEVK-Rich Domain, PCaP2, is Associated with the Plasma Membrane and Interacts with Calmodulin and Phosphatidylinositol Phosphates

Plant and Cell Physiology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:01:15 +0100

We examined the capacity for binding to phosphatidylinositol phosphates (PtdInsPs), and found that PCaP2 interacts strongly with PtdIns(3,5)P2, PtdIns(4,5)P2 and PtdIns(3,4,5)P3, and weakly with PtdIns(3,4)P2. Furthermore, calmodulin was associated with PCaP2 in a Ca2+-dependent manner, and its association weakened the interaction of PCaP2 with PtdInsPs. These results indicate that PCaP2 is involved in intracellular signaling through interaction with PtdInsPs and calmodulin in growing root hairs. PCaP2 was previously reported as microtubule-associated protein-18. We discuss the physiological roles of PCaP2 in relation to microtubules in cells. (Source: Plant and Cell Physiology)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Closing Plant Stomata Requires a Homolog of an Aluminum-Activated Malate Transporter

Plant and Cell Physiology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:01:15 +0100

Plant stomata limit both carbon dioxide uptake and water loss; hence, stomatal aperture is carefully set as the environment fluctuates. Aperture area is known to be regulated in part by ion transport, but few of the transporters have been characterized. Here we report that AtALMT12 (At4g17970), a homolog of the aluminum-activated malate transporter (ALMT) of wheat, is expressed in guard cells of Arabidopsis thaliana. Loss-of-function mutations in AtALMT12 impair stomatal closure induced by ABA, calcium and darkness, but do not abolish either the rapidly activated or the slowly activated anion currents previously identified as being important for stomatal closure. Expressed in Xenopus oocytes, AtALMT12 facilitates chloride and nitrate currents, but not those of organic solutes. Therefore, w...

Dynamics of Periarbuscular Membranes Visualized with a Fluorescent Phosphate Transporter in Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Roots of Rice

Plant and Cell Physiology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:01:15 +0100

In arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis, host plants supply photosynthates to AM fungi and, in return, they receive inorganic nutrients such as phosphate from finely branched fungal arbuscules. Plant cortical cells envelope arbuscules with periarbuscular membranes that are continuous with the plant plasma membranes. We prepared transgenic rice (Oryza sativa) plants that express a fusion of green fluorescent protein with rice AM-inducible phosphate transporter, OsPT11–GFP, and grew them with AM fungi. The fluorescence of the fusion transporter was observed in the arbuscule branch domain, where active nutrient exchange seems to occur. In contrast, a signal was not detected around intracellular hyphal coils on colonization by either Glomus mosseae or Gigaspora rosea, making the differe...

A transient asymmetric distribution of XNOA 36 mRNA and the associated spectrin network bisects Xenopus laevis stage I oocytes along the future A/V axis.

European Journal of Cell Biology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, our data suggest that XNOA 36 mRNA is localized and/or anchored in the oocyte through a cytoskeletal network containing spectrin. The putative implications of this finding are discussed. PMID: 20226562 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: European Journal of Cell Biology)

Determination of the mobility of novel and established Caenorhabditis elegans sarcomeric proteins in vivo.

European Journal of Cell Biology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Ghosh SR, Hope IA A screen was instigated to identify novel protein components of the Caenorhabditis elegans sarcomere. The subcellular localisation of full-length GFP fusion proteins was examined, in transgenic animals, for 62 essentially uncharacterized genes thought to be expressed within bodywall muscle cells. Three genes, T03G6.3, C46G7.2 and K04A8.6, were identified for further study. K04A8.6::GFP only displayed a regular sarcomeric distribution sporadically. However, C46G7.2::GFP localised to the centre of A-bands and dense bodies and T03G6.3::GFP localised in the I-band, of the bodywall muscle sarcomeres, consistently. This success with such a small screen suggests that there are further minor components of the C. elegans sarcomere yet to be discovered. Fluorescence Re...

Expression of the homeobox gene, HOPX, is modulated by cell differentiation in human keratinocytes and is involved in the expression of differentiation markers.

European Journal of Cell Biology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Yang JM, Mi Sim S, Kim HY, Park GT Homeodomain only protein X (HOPX), an unusual homeodomain protein, was originally identified as a key regulator of cardiac development. We first demonstrated that the expression of HOPX was dependent on the differentiation of human keratinocytes and has an effect on the expression of differentiation markers. HOPX was suppressed in proliferating human keratinocytes and was gradually induced by calcium-triggered differentiation of human keratinocytes. In the epidermis, HOPX is highly expressed in the terminally differentiated suprabasal layers. Among the transcript variants of HOPX, the variant 3 driven by promoter A was the main transcript and it was regulated by cell differentiation in human keratinocytes. The expression of HOPX was induced t...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Dsl1p/Zw10: common mechanisms behind tethering vesicles and microtubules.

Trends in Cell Biology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Schmitt HD Fusion of Golgi-derived COP (coat protein)-I vesicles with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is initiated by specific tethering complexes: the Dsl1 (depends on SLY1-20) complex in yeast and the syntaxin 18 complex in mammalian cells. Both tethering complexes are firmly associated with soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs) at the ER. The structure of the Dsl1 tethering complex has been determined recently. The complex seems to be designed to expose an unstructured domain of Dsl1p at its top, which is required to capture vesicles. The subunit composition and the interactions within the equivalent mammalian complex are similar. Interestingly, some of the mammalian counterparts have additional functions during mitosis in animal cel...

Chromatin plasticity and genome organization in pluripotent embryonic stem cells.

Current Opinion in Cell Biology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Mattout A, Meshorer E In search of the mechanisms that govern pluripotency and embryonic stem cell (ESC) self-renewal, a growing list of evidence highlights chromatin as a leading factor, controlling ESC maintenance and differentiation. In-depth investigation of chromatin in ESCs revealed distinct features, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, chromatin protein composition and nuclear architecture. Here we review recent literature describing different aspects of chromatin and genome organization in ESCs. The emerging theme seems to support a mechanism maintaining chromatin plasticity in ESCs but without any dramatic changes in the organization and nuclear positioning of chromosomes and gene loci themselves. Plasticity thus seems to be supported more by different m...

Osmoregulation of Ceroid Neuronal Lipofuscinosis Type 3 (CLN3) in the Renal Medulla.

American Journal of Physiology. Cell Physiology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Stein CS, Yancey PH, Martins I, Sigmund RD, Stokes JB, Davidson BL Recessive inheritance of mutations in CLN3 results in Juvenile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (JNCL), a childhood neurodegenerative disease with symptoms including loss of vision, seizures, and motor and mental decline. CLN3p is a transmembrane protein with undefined function. Using a Cln3 reporter mouse harboring a nuclear-localized bacterial beta-galactosidase (beta gal) gene driven by the native Cln3 promoter, we detected beta gal most prominently in epithelial cells of, skin, colon, lung, and kidney. In the kidney, beta-gal positive nuclei were predominant in medullary collecting duct principal cells, with increased expression along the medullary osmotic gradient. Quantification of Cln3 transcript levels fr...

The apolipoprotein A-I mimetic, 4F, alters the function of human monocyte-derived macrophages.

American Journal of Physiology. Cell Physiology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the apoA-I mimetic 4F modulates the function of monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) by regulating the expression of key cell-surface receptors on MDMs. Primary human monocytes and THP-1 cells were treated with 4F, apoA-I or vehicle for 7days and analyzed for expression of cell surface markers, adhesion to human endothelial cells, phagocytic function, cholesterol efflux capacity and lipid raft organization. 4F and apoA-I treatment decreased the expression of HLA-DR, CD86, CD11b, CD11c, CD14 and TLR-4 compared to control cells suggesting the induction of monocyte differentiation. Both treatments abolished lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mRNA for monocyte chemotactic protein-1(MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein-1(MIP-1), Rantes, interleukin-6...