Search results for "Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins"
showing 10 items of 80 documents
Polylactide-based materials science strategies to improve tissue-material interface without the use of growth factors or other biological molecules
2018
In a large number of medical devices, a key feature of a biomaterial is the ability to successfully bond to living tissues by means of engineered mechanisms such as the enhancement of biomineralization on a bone tissue engineering scaffold or the mimicking of the natural structure of the extracellular matrix (ECM). This ability is commonly referred to as "bioactivity". Materials sciences started to grow interest in it since the development of bioactive glasses by Larry Hench five decades ago. As the main goal in applications of biomedical devices and tissue scaffolds is to obtain a seamless tissue-material interface, achieving optimal bioactivity is essential for the success of most biomate…
Inhibition of FcεRI-mediated Activation of Rat Basophilic Leukemia Cells by Clostridium difficile Toxin B (Monoglucosyltransferase)
1996
Abstract Treatment of rat basophilic leukemia (RBL) 2H3-hm1 cells with Clostridium difficile toxin B (2 ng/ml), which reportedly depolymerizes the actin cytoskeleton, blocked [3H]serotonin release induced by 2,4-dinitrophenyl-bovine serum albumin, carbachol, mastoparan, and reduced ionophore A23187-stimulated degranulation by about 55-60%. In lysates of RBL cells, toxin B 14C-glucosylated two major and one minor protein. By using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting, RhoA and Cdc42 were identified as protein substrates of toxin B. In contrast to toxin B, Clostridium botulinum transferase C3 that selectively inactivates RhoA by ADP-ribosylation did not inhibit degranulation…
Agouti-Related Proteins (AGRPs) and Agouti-Signaling Peptide (ASIP) in Fish and Chicken
2005
We performed an intensive search on sequence databases to identify orthologues of ASIP and AGRP peptides in a number of different species, revealing a number of genomic fragments coding for the C-terminal part of agouti-related motifs, different from annotated peptide sequences, including one fragment from chicken, two from zebrafish, two from Fugu (Takifugu rubripes), and three from Tetraodon (Tetraodon nigroviridis). We have thus shown for the first time that both AGRP and ASIP genes exist in many species in "lower vertebrates" and were most probably present in early stages of vertebrate evolution.
D2R striatopallidal neurons inhibit both locomotor and drug reward processes.
2009
The specific functions of dopamine D(2) receptor-positive (D(2)R) striatopallidal neurons remain poorly understood. Using a genetic mouse model, we found that ablation of D(2)R neurons in the entire striatum induced hyperlocomotion, whereas ablation in the ventral striatum increased amphetamine conditioned place preference. Thus D(2)R striatopallidal neurons limit both locomotion and, unexpectedly, drug reinforcement.
Signalling molecules and growth factors for tissue engineering of cartilage-what can we learn from the growth plate?
2009
Modern tissue engineering concepts integrate cells, scaffolds, signalling molecules and growth factors. For the purposes of regenerative medicine, fetal development is of great interest because it is widely accepted that regeneration recapitulates in part developmental processes. In tissue engineering of cartilage the growth plate of the long bone represents an interesting, well-organized developmental structure with a spatial distribution of chondrocytes in different proliferation and differentiation stages, embedded in a scaffold of extracellular matrix components. The proliferation and differentiation of these chondrocytes is regulated by various hormonal and paracrine factors. Thus, mem…
Bone marrow-derived progenitors are greatly reduced in patients with severe COPD and low-BMI.
2009
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients have reduced circulating hemopoietic progenitors. We hypothesized that severity of COPD parallels the decrease in progenitors and that the reduction in body mass index (BMI) could be associated with more severe bone marrow dysfunction. We studied 39 patients with moderate to very severe COPD (18 with low-BMI and 21 with normal-BMI) and 12 controls. Disease severity was associated to a greater reduction in circulating progenitors. Proangiogenetic and inflammatory markers correlated with disease severity parameters. Compared to normal-BMI patients, low-BMI patients showed: greater reduction in circulating progenitors; higher VEGF-A, VEGF-C…
ANKRD26-RET - A novel gene fusion involving RET in papillary thyroid carcinoma
2018
Abstract Background Rearrangements of RET are drivers of oncogenesis, traceable in different cancer types as papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), non-small cell lung cancer, colorectal or breast cancer. Anchored multiplex PCR based next-generation sequencing (NGS) can detect RET rearrangements involving previously unknown partner genes. Methods A sample of PTC underwent NGS, following detection of RET rearrangement by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Expression analysis of ANKRD26 and RET was performed for the tumor harboring ANKRD26-RET, for corresponding normal thyroid tissue and PTC tumors with representative genetic alterations (BRAFV600E, CCDC6-RET), complemented by a comparative sear…
Aromatase and amphiregulin are correspondingly expressed in human liver cancer cells
2009
Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with high mortality rates, being the third most common cause of cancer death worldwide. Although estrogens have been implicated in HCC, their potential role in development and/or progression of this malignancy remains unclear. In this study we investigated mRNA and protein expression of aromatase (Aro) and amphiregulin (AREG) in relation to estrogen receptors (ERs), in HepG2, Huh7, and HA22T human malignant liver cell lines, using RT-PCR and Western blot analyses. Aro expression was significantly higher (approximately 13-fold, P= 0.003) in HepG2 cells than in Huh7 cells, while no Aro expression could be detected in HA22T cells. Interestingl…
Alternative treatments for oral bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws: a pilot study comparing fibrin rich in growth factors and teriparat…
2013
Objectives: The aim of this study is to describe and compare the evolution of recurrent bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (BRONJ) in patients treated with plasma rich in growth factors or teriparatide. Material and Methods: Two different types of treatments were applied in patients diagnosed of recurrent BRONJ in a referral hospital for 1.100.000 inhabitants. In the group A, plasma rich in growth factors was applied during the surgery. In the group B, the treatment consisted in the subcutaneous administration of teriparatide. All the cases of BRONJ should meet the following conditions: recurrent BRONJ, impossibility of surgery in stage 3 Ruggiero classification and absence of…
Agouti-related peptide-expressing neurons are mandatory for feeding.
2005
Multiple hormones controlling energy homeostasis regulate the expression of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related peptide (AgRP) in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. Nevertheless, inactivation of the genes encoding NPY and/or AgRP has no impact on food intake in mice. Here we demonstrate that induced selective ablation of AgRP-expressing neurons in adult mice results in acute reduction of feeding, demonstrating direct evidence for a critical role of these neurons in the regulation of energy homeostasis.