Search results for "Intracellular"
showing 10 items of 821 documents
Poriferan survivin exhibits a conserved regulatory role in the interconnected pathways of cell cycle and apoptosis
2010
Survivin orchestrates intracellular pathways during cell division and apoptosis. Its central function as mitotic regulator and inhibitor of cell death has major implications for tumor cell proliferation. Analyses in early-branching Metazoa so far propose an exclusive role of survivin as a chromosomal passenger protein, whereas only later during evolution a complementary antiapoptotic function might have arisen, concurrent with increased organismal complexity. To lift the veil on the ancestral function(s) of this key regulator, a survivin-like protein (SURVL) of one of the earliest-branching metazoan taxa was identified and functionally characterized. SURVL of the sponge Suberites domuncula …
Apoptosis in liver disease.
2006
The description of the morphological hallmarks of programmed cell death, apoptosis, in 1972 by Kerr, Wyllie and Currie started a field of research that revolutionized our understanding of cellular proliferation, tissue homeostasis and pathophysiology of many diseases. In the following years, a series of proteins involved in signaling and intracellular death pathways were identified and 30 years later the Noble Prize for physiology and medicine was awarded to S. Brenner, H. R. Horvitz and J. E. Sulston for their discoveries related to describing the mechanisms of cell death (apoptosis). The delineation of the signaling pathways that mediate apoptosis changed the paradigms of understanding in…
Characterization of cells with different mitochondrial membrane potential during apoptosis.
2005
Background Until now, the simultaneous analysis of several parameters during apoptosis, including DNA content and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ), has not been possible because of the spectral characteristics of the commonly used dyes. Using polychromatic flow cytometry based upon multiple laser and UV lamp excitation, we have characterized cells with different ΔΨ during apoptosis. Methods U937 cells were treated with the flavonoid quercetin (Qu) and stained with JC-1 to detect ΔΨ, propidium iodide (PI) for cell viability, Hoechst 33342 for DNA content, Annexin V conjugated with Alexa Fluor-647 for detection of phosphatidilserine (PS) exposure, marker of early apoptosis, or Mitotracke…
Lysosomal degradation of the carboxydextran shell of coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and the fate of professional phagocytes
2010
Contrast agents based on dextran-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIO) are internalized by professional phagocytes such as hepatic Kupffer cells, yet their role in phagocyte biology remains largely unknown. Here we investigated the effects of the SPIO ferucarbotran on murine Kupffer cells and human macrophages. Intravenous injection of ferucarbotran into mice led to rapid accumulation of the particles in phagocytes and to long-lasting increased iron deposition in liver and kidneys. Macrophages incorporate ferucarbotran in lysosomal vesicles containing α-glucosidase, which is capable of degrading the carboxydextran shell of the ferucarbotran particles. Intravenous injectio…
Absence of oxysterol-like side effects in human monocytic cells treated with phytosterols and oxyphytosterols
2012
Oxysterols, found in some commonly consumed foods, can induce a wide range of cytotoxic effects, which have been extensively studied. On the other hand, the side effects of phytosterols and oxyphytosterols are less well-known. Over the past few years, different types of foods have been enriched with phytosterols on the basis of the properties of these compounds that reduce circulating cholesterol levels in certain experimental conditions. It is therefore important to gain better knowledge of the risks and benefits of this type of diet. In this study, conducted in human monocytic U937 cells, the ability of phytosterols (sitosterol, campesterol) and oxyphytosterols (7 beta-hydroxysitosterol, …
Role of oxoproline in the regulation of neutral amino acid transport across the blood-brain barrier.
1996
Regulation of neutral amino acid transport was studied using isolated plasma membrane vesicles derived from the bovine blood-brain barrier. Neutral amino acids cross the blood-brain barrier by facilitative transport system L1, which may allow both desirable and undesirable amino acids to enter the brain. The sodium-dependent amino acid systems A and Bo,+ are located exclusively on abluminal membranes, in a position to pump unwanted amino acids out. gamma-Glutamyl transpeptidase, the first enzyme of the gamma-glutamyl cycle, is an integral protein of the luminal membrane of the blood-brain barrier. We demonstrate that oxoproline, an intracellular product of the gamma-glutamyl cycle, stimulat…
Dynamical properties of water in living cells
2018
With the aim of studying the effect of water dynamics on the properties of biological systems, in this paper, we present a quasi-elastic neutron scattering study on three different types of living cells, differing both in their morphological and tumor properties. The measured scattering signal, which essentially originates from hydrogen atoms present in the investigated systems, has been analyzed using a global fitting strategy using an optimized theoretical model that considers various classes of hydrogen atoms and allows disentangling diffusive and rotational motions. The approach has been carefully validated by checking the reliability of the calculation of parameters and their 99% confi…
Processing of tetanus and botulinum A neurotoxins in isolated chromaffin cells.
1995
Tetanus and botulinum A neurotoxins were introduced into the cytosol of chromaffin cells by means of an electric field in which the plasma membrane is forced to form pores of approximately 1 micron at the sites facing the electrodes. As demonstrated by electron microscopy, both [125I] and gold-labelled tetanus toxin (TeTx) diffuse through these transient openings. Dichain-TeTx, with its light chain linked to the heavy chain by means of a disulfide bond, causes the block of exocytosis to develop more slowly than does the purified light chain. The disulfide bonds, which in both toxins hold the subunits together, were cleaved by the intrinsic thioredoxin-reductase system. Single chain TeTx, in…
Apoptosis in liver disease
2001
A variety of biological functions are regulated through extracellular signals. Amongst the best studied examples is growth control, which is achieved by the regulatory function of growth factors. In recent years it has become apparent that cell death (apoptosis) is controlled in a similar fashion. Apoptosis, firstly a morphologically defined process, is a highly controlled type of cell death that plays a critical role in embryonic development, deletion of autoreactive T-cells and adult tissue homoeostasis. There is increasing evidence that derangement of the apoptotic program is the underlying cause of a series of diseases including liver diseases. The deadly program can be initiated by lig…
SUMOylation of Blimp-1 promotes its proteasomal degradation
2011
Abstract B lymphocyte induced maturation protein-1 (Blimp-1) is a transcription repressor of the Krueppel-like family. Blimp-1 plays important roles in developmental processes, such as of germ cells and hair follicle stem cells. In B lymphocytes Blimp-1 orchestrates the terminal differentiation into plasma cells. We discovered that Blimp-1 undergoes SUMOylation by SUMO-1. This SUMOylation is modulated by the SUMO protease SENP1. While Blimp-1 is relatively stable in 293T cells, a fusion with SUMO1 rendered it to rapid proteasomal degradation. Increase in SENP1 activity stabilized Blimp-1, while a decrease promoted its degradation. Our data indicate that SUMOylation of Blimp-1 regulates its …