Search results for "Western"
showing 10 items of 1138 documents
Role of adenylate kinase type 7 expression on cilia motility: possible link in primary ciliary dyskinesia.
2010
Background Adenylate kinase 7 (AK7) mediates the reaction 2ADP ↔ ATP + AMP, providing energy for the beating of cilia. A study recently showed that AK7 expression may be correlated with the primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) phenotype in mice. In this study, we characterized AK7 expression in vitro in an air–liquid interface (ALI) model and in middle nasal turbinate biopsy specimens from a cohort of patients with PCD to elucidate whether AK7 expression is correlated with ciliary malfunction. Methods AK7 expression was measured by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. In vitro differentiated nasal human epithelial cell siRNA experiments were performed …
Human Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells maintain the expression of key immunomodulatory molecules when subjected to osteogenic, adipogenic and c…
2013
Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are the main diseases that imply an inflammatory process at the joints involving the articular cartilage. Recently, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from perinatal tissues were considered good candidates for cellular therapy of musculoskeletal and orthopaedic diseases, since they can differentiate into multiple cell types and are an easily accessible cellular source. Therefore, several protocols exist on the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells of different origins into osteoblasts and chondrocytes. Another key feature of MSCs is their capacity to modulate the immune system responses in vitro and in vivo. This may have critical outcomes in d…
Axonal control of the adult neural stem cell niche.
2014
SummaryThe ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) is an extensive germinal niche containing neural stem cells (NSCs) in the walls of the lateral ventricles of the adult brain. How the adult brain’s neural activity influences the behavior of adult NSCs remains largely unknown. We show that serotonergic (5HT) axons originating from a small group of neurons in the raphe form an extensive plexus on most of the ventricular walls. Electron microscopy revealed intimate contacts between 5HT axons and NSCs (B1) or ependymal cells (E1) and these cells were labeled by a transsynaptic viral tracer injected into the raphe. B1 cells express the 5HT receptors 2C and 5A. Electrophysiology showed that acti…
Barbarians at the gate... the ideas of Europe in CEE
2011
The central aim of this work is to present some ideas of Europe in Central and Eastern Europe through three phases, the Soviet period, the pre-accession (to the EU) period and, finally, the post-accession period. Throughout those periods, Central and Eastern European states faced different conditions and challenges however Europe consistently remained a point of reference in the states’ intellectual and political reflections. This work is meant to contribute to understanding the rationale and reason behind the policy directions chosen in CEE in the later half of the 20th and formative part of the 21st centuries.
IkappaB kinase 2 determines oligodendrocyte loss by non-cell-autonomous activation of NF-kappaB in the central nervous system
2011
The IκB kinase complex induces nuclear factor kappa B activation and has recently been recognized as a key player of autoimmunity in the central nervous system. Notably, IκB kinase/nuclear factor kappa B signalling regulates peripheral myelin formation by Schwann cells, however, its role in myelin formation in the central nervous system during health and disease is largely unknown. Surprisingly, we found that brain-specific IκB kinase 2 expression is dispensable for proper myelin assembly and repair in the central nervous system, but instead plays a fundamental role for the loss of myelin in the cuprizone model. During toxic demyelination, inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B activation by …
Identification of an Antigen Related to the Sea Urchin RNA-Binding Protein LP54 in Mammalian Central Nervous System
2001
LP54 is an RNA-binding protein involved in localization of maternal messengers in sea urchin egg and embryos. Using a polyclonal antibody directed against Paracentrotus lividus LP54 we detected a 66-kDa cross-reacting antigen in undifferentiated and differentiated SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. After treatment of undifferentiated cells with detergent, the 66-kDa antigen was found to be enriched in the cytoskeletal fraction. By Western blot the expression of this antigen was also analyzed in regions of the CNS and in tissues of the adult rat and its exclusive presence in the hippocampus and thalamus was revealed. The immunoreactivity with P. lividus antibody against LP54 in hippocampal l…
Differential Promotion of Glutamate Transporter Expression and Function by Glucocorticoids in Astrocytes from Various Brain Regions
2005
Steroids that activate glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) and mineralocorticoid receptors have important regulatory effects on neural development, plasticity, and the body's stress response. Here, we investigated the role of corticosteroids in regulating the expression of the glial glutamate transporters glial glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) and glutamate-aspartate transporter (GLAST) in rat primary astrocytes. The synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone provoked a marked increase of GLT-1 transcription and protein levels in cortical astrocytes, whereas GLAST expression remained unaffected. Up-regulation of GLT-1 expression was accompanied by an enhanced glutamate uptake, which could be blocked …
Anandamide-induced apoptosis in Chang liver cells involves ceramide and JNK/AP-1 pathway
2006
In the present study we demonstrate that anandamide, the most important endogenous cannabinoid, markedly induced apoptosis in Chang liver cells, an immortalized non-tumor cell line derived from normal liver tissue, while it induced only modest effects in a number of hepatoma cell lines. The apoptotic effect was reduced by methyl-beta-cyclodextrin, a membrane cholesterol depletor, suggesting an interaction between anandamide and the membrane microdomains named lipid rafts. Anandamide effects were mediated by the production of ceramide, as demonstrated by experiments performed with the sphingomyelinase inhibitor, desipramine, or with the sphingomyelinase activator, melittin. This conclusion w…
Synthesis and inhibitory activity of dimethylamino-chalcone derivatives on the induction of nitric oxide synthase.
2002
A series of nine dimethylamino-chalcone derivatives (1,3-diaryl-propenones) was synthesized and screened as potential inhibitors of NO and PGE(2) production in the RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line. 4-Dimethylamino-2',5'-dimethoxychalcone (6) was found to be the most potent and dual inhibitor (IC(50s) in the submicromolar range) of NO and PGE(2) production. 2',6'-Dimethoxylation appeared to be an effective requirement for selective and potent inhibition of nitric oxide synthase induction as it was confirmed by Western blot analysis. Chalcone (6) at 25 mg kg(-1) by oral route, inhibited significantly the formation of oedema in the carrageenan-induced model of inflammation in mice.
Variable exposure and immunological response to Lyme disease Borrelia among North Atlantic seabird species.
2008
Colonial seabirds often breed in large aggregations. These individuals can be exposed to parasitism by the tick Ixodes uriae , but little is known about the circulation of pathogens carried by this ectoparasite, including Lyme disease Borrelia . Here we investigated the prevalence of antibodies (Ab) against Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in seabird species sampled at eight locations across the North Atlantic. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay tests, we found that the prevalence of anti- Borrelia Ab in adult seabirds was 39.6% on average (over 444 individuals), but that it varied among colonies and species. Common guillemots showed higher seroprevalence (77.1%±5.9) than black-legged …