Search results for "Cell and molecular biology"
showing 10 items of 84 documents
Dual disruption of aldehyde dehydrogenases 1 and 3 promotes functional changes in the glutathione redox system and enhances chemosensitivity in nonsm…
2020
AbstractAldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) are multifunctional enzymes that oxidize diverse endogenous and exogenous aldehydes. We conducted a meta-analysis based on The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus data and detected genetic alterations in ALDH1A1, ALDH1A3, or ALDH3A1, 86% of which were gene amplification or mRNA upregulation, in 31% of nonsmall cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). The expression of these isoenzymes impacted chemoresistance and shortened survival times in patients. We hypothesized that these enzymes provide an oxidative advantage for the persistence of NSCLC. To test this hypothesis, we used genetic and pharmacological approaches with DIMATE, an irreversible inhibito…
Muscle follistatin gene delivery increases muscle protein synthesis independent of periodical physical inactivity and fasting
2020
Blocking of myostatin and activins effectively counteracts muscle atrophy. However, the potential interaction with physical inactivity and fasting in the regulation of muscle protein synthesis is poorly understood. We used blockade of myostatin and activins by recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV)-mediated follistatin (FS288) overexpression in mouse tibialis anterior muscle. To investigate the effects on muscle protein synthesis, muscles were collected 7 days after rAAV-injection in the nighttime or in the daytime representing high and low levels of activity and feeding, respectively, or after overnight fasting, refeeding, or ad libitum feeding. Muscle protein synthesis was increased by…
Neurogenin 3+ cells contribute to β-cell neogenesis and proliferation in injured adult mouse pancreas
2013
Abstract: We previously showed that injury by partial duct ligation (PDL) in adult mouse pancreas activates Neurogenin 3 (Ngn3)(+) progenitor cells that can differentiate to beta cells ex vivo. Here we evaluate the role of Ngn3(+) cells in beta cell expansion in situ. PDL not only induced doubling of the beta cell volume but also increased the total number of islets. beta cells proliferated without extended delay (the so-called 'refractory' period), their proliferation potential was highest in small islets, and 86% of the beta cell expansion was attributable to proliferation of pre-existing beta cells. At sufficiently high Ngn3 expression level, upto 14% of all beta cells and 40% of small i…
Immunoprofiles and DNA methylation of inflammatory marker genes in ulcerative colitis-associated colorectal tumorigenesis
2021
Immunological and epigenetic changes are interconnected and contribute to tumorigenesis. We determined the immunoprofiles and promoter methylation of inflammation-related genes for colitis-associated colorectal carcinomas (CA-CRC). The results were compared with Lynch syndrome (LS)-associated colorectal tumors, which are characterized by an active immune environment through inherited mismatch repair defects. CA-CRCs (n = 31) were immunohistochemically evaluated for immune cell scores (ICSs) and PDCD1 and CD274 expression. Seven inflammation-associated genes (CD274, NTSR1, PPARG, PTGS2, PYCARD, SOCS1, and SOCS2), the repair gene MGMT, and eight standard marker genes for the CpG Island Methyl…
Worldwide trends in hypertension prevalence and progress in treatment and control from 1990 to 2019: a pooled analysis of 1201 population-representat…
2021
Background: hypertension can be detected at the primary health-care level and low-cost treatments can effectively control hypertension. We aimed to measure the prevalence of hypertension and progress in its detection, treatment, and control from 1990 to 2019 for 200 countries and territories. Methods: we used data from 1990 to 2019 on people aged 30-79 years from population-representative studies with measurement of blood pressure and data on blood pressure treatment. We defined hypertension as having systolic blood pressure 140 mm Hg or greater, diastolic blood pressure 90 mm Hg or greater, or taking medication for hypertension. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate the prev…
A DNA-nanoparticle actuator enabling optical monitoring of nanoscale movements induced by an electric field.
2018
Merging biological and non-biological matter to fabricate nanoscale assemblies with controllable motion and function is of great interest due to its potential application, for example, in diagnostics and biosensing. Here, we have constructed a DNA-based bionanoactuator that interfaces with biological and non-biological matter via an electric field in a reversibly controllable fashion. The read-out of the actuator is based on motion-induced changes in the plasmon resonance of a gold nanoparticle immobilized to a gold surface by single stranded DNA. The motion of the gold nanoparticle and thus the conformational changes of the DNA under varying electric field were analyzed by dark field spect…
Adapting a Phage to Combat Phage Resistance
2020
Phage therapy is becoming a widely recognized alternative for fighting pathogenic bacteria due to increasing antibiotic resistance problems. However, one of the common concerns related to the use of phages is the evolution of bacterial resistance against the phages, putatively disabling the treatment. Experimental adaptation of the phage (phage training) to infect a resistant host has been used to combat this problem. Yet, there is very little information on the trade-offs of phage infectivity and host range. Here we co-cultured a myophage FCV-1 with its host, the fish pathogen Flavobacterium columnare, in lake water and monitored the interaction for a one-month period. Phage resistance was…
Flexible Structure of Peptide-Bound Filamin A Mechanosensor Domain Pair 20-21.
2015
Filamins (FLNs) are large, multidomain actin cross-linking proteins with diverse functions. Besides regulating the actin cytoskeleton, they serve as important links between the extracellular matrix and the cytoskeleton by binding cell surface receptors, functioning as scaffolds for signaling proteins, and binding several other cytoskeletal proteins that regulate cell adhesion dynamics. Structurally, FLNs are formed of an amino terminal actin-binding domain followed by 24 immunoglobulin-like domains (IgFLNs). Recent studies have demonstrated that myosin-mediated contractile forces can reveal hidden protein binding sites in the domain pairs IgFLNa18-19 and 20-21, enabling FLNs to transduce me…
Tips and turns of bacteriophytochrome photoactivation
2020
Phytochromes are ubiquitous photosensor proteins, which control the growth, reproduction and movement in plants, fungi and bacteria. Phytochromes switch between two photophysical states depending on the light conditions. In analogy to molecular machines, light absorption induces a series of structural changes that are transduced from the bilin chromophore, through the protein, and to the output domains. Recent progress towards understanding this structural mechanism of signal transduction has been manifold. We describe this progress with a focus on bacteriophytochromes. We describe the mechanism along three structural tiers, which are the chromophore-binding pocket, the photosensory module,…
Differentiation of Murine C2C12 Myoblasts Strongly Reduces the Effects of Myostatin on Intracellular Signaling
2020
Alongside in vivo models, a simpler and more mechanistic approach is required to study the effects of myostatin on skeletal muscle because myostatin is an important negative regulator of muscle size. In this study, myostatin was administered to murine (C2C12) and human (CHQ) myoblasts and myotubes. Canonical and noncanonical signaling downstream to myostatin, related ligands, and their receptor were analyzed. The effects of tumorkines were analyzed after coculture of C2C12 and colon cancer-C26 cells. The effects of myostatin on canonical and noncanonical signaling were strongly reduced in C2C12 cells after differentiation. This may be explained by increased follistatin, an endogenous blocke…