Search results for " ACTIVATION"

Control of the ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase activity by the chloroplastic glutathione pool.

2014

The CO2-fixing activity of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase depends on the redox state of its cysteines. Disulfides like cystamine or 5,5'-dithio-bis(2-nitrobenzoic acid), but not oxidized glutathione, switch the enzyme to the inactive oxidized form. Conversely, thiols like cysteamine, cysteine, dithiotreitol or 2-mercaptoethanol, but not reduced glutathione, recover enzymatic activity after a previous oxidation. Direct regulation of the carboxylase activity by the chloroplastic glutathione pool is hindered by kinetic barriers impeding access to the critical residues. However, reduced glutathione can drive the recovery of activity by means of minute amounts of smaller interme…

More accuracy to the EROD measurements—The resorufin fluorescence differs between species and individuals

2012

Ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity is a biomarker of exposure to planar aromatic hydrocarbons, and it is often measured from the S9 fraction. The effect of the liver S9 fraction of seven boreal freshwater fish species on the fluorescence of resorufin was studied. The S9 fractions diminished resorufin fluorescence by 40–80%, and there were large differences between species. Thus, using a resorufin standard curve without the S9 fraction leads to a large underestimation of the EROD activity. Therefore a microwell plate EROD method was developed that takes into account the effect of each sample on resorufin fluorescence. At least two mechanisms were involved in the decrease of the flu…

Generation of T Follicular Helper Cells Is Mediated by Interleukin-21 but Independent of T Helper 1, 2, or 17 Cell Lineages

2008

After activation, CD4(+) helper T (Th) cells differentiate into distinct effector subsets. Although chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 5-expressing T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are important in humoral immunity, their developmental regulation is unclear. Here we show that Tfh cells had a distinct gene expression profile and developed in vivo independently of the Th1 or Th2 cell lineages. Tfh cell generation was regulated by ICOS ligand (ICOSL) expressed on B cells and was dependent on interleukin-21 (IL-21), IL-6, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). However, unlike Th17 cells, differentiation of Tfh cells did not require transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta…

Parthenolide sensitizes hepatocellular carcinoma cells to trail by inducing the expression of death receptors through inhibition of STAT3 activation

2011

This article shows that HepG2, Hep3B, and SK-Hep1 cells, three lines of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, are resistant to apoptosis induced by tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). Parthenolide, a sesquiterpene lactone found in European feverfew, has been shown to exert both anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. This article demonstrates that co-treatment with parthenolide and TRAIL-induced apoptosis with synergistic interactions in the three lines of HCC cells. In order to explain these effects we ascertained that parthenolide increased either at protein or mRNA level the total content of death receptors TRAIL-R1 and -R2 as well as their surfac…

Decreased SAPK/JNK signalling affects cytokine release and STAT3 activation in psoriatic fibroblasts.

2015

Inhibition of VEGF expression through blockade of Hif1a and STAT3 signalling mediates the anti-angiogenic effect of melatonin in HepG2 liver cancer c…

2013

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) growth relies on angiogenesis via vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) release. Hypoxia within tumour environment leads to intracellular stabilisation of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (Hif1α) and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT3). Melatonin induces apoptosis in HCC, and shows anti-angiogenic features in several tumours. In this study, we used human HepG2 liver cancer cells as an in vitro model to investigate the anti-angiogenic effects of melatonin. Methods: HepG2 cells were treated with melatonin under normoxic or CoCl2-induced hypoxia. Gene expression was analysed by RT–qPCR and western blot. Melatonin-induced anti-…

Arginine deficiency leads to impaired cofilin dephosphorylation in activated human T lymphocytes

2012

The amino acid arginine is fundamentally involved in the regulation of the immune response during infection, inflammatory diseases and tumor growth. Arginine deficiency (e.g. due to the myeloid cell enzyme arginase) inhibits proliferation and effector functions of activated T lymphocytes. Here, we studied intracellular mechanisms mediating this suppression of human T lymphocytes. Our proteomic analysis revealed an impaired dephosphorylation of the actin-binding protein cofilin upon T-cell activation in the absence of arginine. We show that this correlates with alteration of actin polymerization and impaired accumulation of CD2 and CD3 in the evolving immunological synapse in T cell-antigen …

Sulfotransferase-mediated activation of mutagens studied using heterologous expression systems

1998

Abstract Sulfation is a common final step in the biotransformation of xenobiotics and is traditionally associated with inactivation. However, the sulfate group is electron-withdrawing and may be cleaved off heterolytically in some molecules leading to electrophilic cations which may form adducts with DNA and other important cellular structures. Since endogenous sulfotransferases do not appear to be expressed in indicator cells of standard mutagenicity tests, rat and human sulfotransferases have been stably expressed in his−Salmonella typhimurium strain TA1538 and Chinese hamster V79 cells. Using these recombinant indicator cells, sulfotransferase-dependent genotoxic activities were detected…

Proliferative response of synovial fluid and peripheral blood mononuclear cells to arthritogenic and non-arthritogenic microbial antigens and to the …

1990

Cellular immune responses to microbial antigens have been implicated in the pathogenesis of some forms of arthritis including reactive arthritis, Reiter's syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis. We investigated the proliferative T cell responses of paired peripheral blood (PB) and synovial fluid (SF) mononuclear cells (MC) to so-called arthritogenic bacteria (Yersinia enterocolitica and Salmonella typhimurium), to control antigens, such as Candida albicans, mumps virus and purified protein derivative, to the recombinant mycobacterial 65-kDa heat-shock protein (hsp 65) and the mitogen phytohemagglutinin (PHA) in 16 patients with different inflammatory rheumatic diseases. T…

New Acylated Triterpene Saponins from Silene fortunei that Modulate Lymphocyte Proliferation

2002

Three new acylated triterpene saponins 1-3, with a quillaic acid as aglycon, were isolated from the roots of Silene fortunei together with a known phytoecdysteroid (20-hydroxyecdysone). The compounds were characterized mainly by a combination of 2D NMR techniques, mass spectrometry, and chemical methods. Saponins 1-3, jenisseensosides C and D (4, 5), and 6 (deacylated form of 2/3 and 4/5) were found to stimulate the proliferation of the Jurkat tumor cell lines at low concentration. At high concentration, 2/3 and 4/5 inhibited the proliferation of the cells and suggested the induction of apoptosis.