Search results for "C57BL"
showing 10 items of 1292 documents
Control of Murine Cytomegalovirus Infection by γδ T Cells
2015
Infections with cytomegalovirus (CMV) can cause severe disease in immunosuppressed patients and infected newborns. Innate as well as cellular and humoral adaptive immune effector functions contribute to the control of CMV in immunocompetent individuals. None of the innate or adaptive immune functions are essential for virus control, however. Expansion of γδ T cells has been observed during human CMV (HCMV) infection in the fetus and in transplant patients with HCMV reactivation but the protective function of γδ T cells under these conditions remains unclear. Here we show for murine CMV (MCMV) infections that mice that lack CD8 and CD4 αβ-T cells as well as B lymphocytes can control a MCMV i…
The NG2 Proteoglycan Protects Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells against Oxidative Stress via Interaction with OMI/HtrA2.
2015
The NG2 proteoglycan is characteristically expressed by oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPC) and also by aggressive brain tumours highly resistant to chemo- and radiation therapy. Oligodendrocyte-lineage cells are particularly sensitive to stress resulting in cell death in white matter after hypoxic or ischemic insults of premature infants and destruction of OPC in some types of Multiple Sclerosis lesions. Here we show that the NG2 proteoglycan binds OMI/HtrA2, a mitochondrial serine protease which is released from damaged mitochondria into the cytosol in response to stress. In the cytosol, OMI/HtrA2 initiates apoptosis by proteolytic degradation of anti-apoptotic factors. OPC in which NG…
Coffee Restores Expression of lncRNAs Involved in Steatosis and Fibrosis in a Mouse Model of NAFLD
2021
Background and aim: Coffee intake exerts protective effects against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), although without fully cleared mechanisms. In this study we aimed to assess whether coffee consumption may influence the expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the liver. Methods: C57BL/6J mice were fed a 12-week standard diet (SD), high-fat diet (HFD) or HFD plus decaffeinated coffee solution (HFD + coffee). Expression of specific lncRNAs involved in NAFLD was analyzed by real-time PCR. For the most differentially expressed lncRNAs, the analysis was also extended to their mRNA targets. Results: Decaffeinated coffee intake reduced body weight gain, prevented NAFLD, lowered…
Differential VASP phosphorylation controls remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton
2009
Proteins of the Enabled/vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (Ena/VASP) family link signal transduction pathways to actin cytoskeleton dynamics. VASP is substrate of cAMP-dependent, cGMP-dependent and AMP-activated protein kinases that primarily phosphorylate the sites S157, S239 and T278, respectively. Here, we systematically analyzed functions of VASP phosphorylation patterns for actin assembly and subcellular targeting in vivo and compared the phosphorylation effects of Ena/VASP family members. Methods used were the reconstitution of VASP-null cells with `locked' phosphomimetic VASP mutants, actin polymerization of VASP mutants in vitro and in living cells, site-specific kinase-mediated…
Selective uptake of naked vaccine RNA by dendritic cells is driven by macropinocytosis and abrogated upon DC maturation.
2011
Even though it is known for more than one decade that antigen-encoding RNA can deliver antigenic information to induce antigen-specific immunity against cancer, the nature and mechanism of RNA uptake have remained enigmatic. In this study, we investigated the pharmacokinetics of naked RNA administered into the lymph node. We observed that RNA is rapidly and selectively uptaken by lymph node dendritic cells (DCs). Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo studies revealed that the efficient internalization of RNA by human and murine DCs is primarily driven by macropinocytosis. Selective inhibition of macropinocytosis by compounds or as a consequence of DC maturation abrogated RNA internalization and…
Evaluation of a novel monoclonal antibody against tumor-associated MUC1 for diagnosis and prognosis of breast cancer
2019
There is still a great unmet medical need concerning diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer which could be addressed by utilizing specific molecular targets. Tumor-associated MUC1 is expressed on over 90 % of all breast cancer entities and differs strongly from its physiological form on epithelial cells, therefore presenting a unique target for breast cancer diagnosis and antibody-mediated immune therapy. Utilizing an anti-tumor vaccine based on a synthetically prepared glycopeptide, we generated a monoclonal antibody (mAb) GGSK-1/30, selectively recognizing human tumor-associated MUC1. This antibody targets exclusively tumor-associated MUC1 in the absence of any binding to MUC1 on health…
Moderate consumption of beer reduces liver triglycerides and aortic cholesterol deposit in LDLr-/- apoB100/100 mice.
2006
This study was designed to address the effects of a moderate consumption of beer on serum and liver lipid parameters and on the development of aortic lesions in a mouse model associated with a human atherogenic lipoprotein profile. LDLr(-/-) apoB(100/100) mice received each day during 12 weeks either water, mild beer (0.570g of ethanol/kg of body weight) or ethanol-free beer in a single pure dose. Serum and liver lipid parameters were analyzed and atherosclerotic lesions were estimated in heart and aorta through their total cholesterol content. mRNA levels of enzymes and receptors involved in lipoprotein uptake, in fatty acid esterification and oxidation, and in reverse cholesterol transpor…
Different effects of pioglitazone and rosiglitazone on lipid metabolism in mouse cultured liver explants.
2010
Background Pioglitazone (PIO) and rosiglitazone (ROSI) are widely used as oral antidiabetic agents for treatment of type 2 diabetes. Although these medications exert similar effects on blood glucose, recent clinical studies indicated that PIO has a more pronounced beneficial effect on lipid parameters than ROSI. In order to get further insight into the lipid effects of both drugs, we tested whether PIO, compared to ROSI, could exert direct effects on lipid liver metabolism in relation with plasma lipids. Methods We performed in vitro studies using mice liver slices incubated 21 h either with ROSI (1 µmol/L) or PIO (7.5 µmol/L). Results We showed that both glitazones slightly reduced HMG-CoA…
Control of murine hair follicle regression (catagen) by TGF‐β1in vivo
2000
The regression phase of the hair cycle (catagen) is an apoptosis-driven process accompanied by terminal differentiation, proteolysis, and matrix remodeling. As an inhibitor of keratinocyte proliferation and inductor of keratinocyte apoptosis, transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) has been proposed to play an important role in catagen regulation. This is suggested, for example, by maximal expression of TGF-beta1 and its receptors during late anagen and the onset of catagen of the hair cycle. We examined the potential involvement of TGF-beta1 in catagen control. We compared the first spontaneous entry of hair follicles into catagen between TGF-beta1 null mice and age-matched wild-type …
Physical exercise neuroprotects ovariectomized 3xTg-AD mice through BDNF mechanisms.
2014
Postmenopausal women may be more vulnerable to cognitive loss and Alzheimer's disease (AD) than premenopausal women because of their deficiency in estrogens, in addition to their usually older age. Aerobic physical exercise has been proposed as a therapeutic approach for maintaining health and well-being in postmenopausal women, and for improving brain health and plasticity in populations at high risk for AD. To study the neuroprotective mechanisms of physical exercise in a postmenopausal animal model, we submitted previously ovariectomized, six-month old non-transgenic and 3xTg-AD mice to three months of voluntary exercise in a running wheel. At nine months of age, we observed lower grip s…