Search results for "binding"

Dendritic cell aggresome-like-induced structure formation and delayed antigen presentation coincide in influenza virus-infected dendritic cells.

2005

Abstract Influenza virus infection induces maturation of murine dendritic cells (DCs), which is most important for the initiation of an immune response. However, in contrast to EL-4 and MC57 cells, DCs present viral CTL epitopes with a delay of up to 10 h. This delay in Ag presentation coincides with the up-regulation of MHC class I molecules as well as costimulatory molecules on the cell surface and the accumulation of newly synthesized ubiquitinated proteins in large cytosolic structures, called DC aggresome-like-induced structures (DALIS). These structures were observed previously after LPS-induced maturation of DCs, and it was speculated that they play a role in the regulation of MHC cl…

Cholesterol Modulates the Interaction of β-Amyloid Peptide with Lipid Bilayers

2009

The interaction of an amphiphilic, 40-amino acid beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptide with liposomal membranes as a function of sterol mole fraction (X(sterol)) was studied based on the fluorescence anisotropy of a site-specific membrane sterol probe, dehydroergosterol (DHE), and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the native Tyr-10 residue of Abeta to DHE. Without Abeta, peaks or kinks in the DHE anisotropy versus X(sterol) plot were detected at X(sterol) approximately 0.25, 0.33, and 0.53. Monomeric Abeta preserved these peaks/kinks, but oligomeric Abeta suppressed them and created a new DHE anisotropy peak at X(sterol) approximately 0.38. The above critical X(sterol) values coinci…

De novo formation of cytokeratin filament networks originates from the cell cortex in A-431 cells

2001

Of the three major cytoskeletal filament systems, the intermediate filaments are the least understood. Since they differ fundamentally from the actin- and microtubulebased networks by their lack of polarity, it has remained a mystery how and where these principally endless filaments are formed. Using a recently established epithelial cell system in which fluorescently labeled intermediate filaments of the cytokeratin type can be monitored in living cells, we address these issues. By multidimensional time-lapse fluorescence microscopy, we examine de novo intermediate filament network formation from non-filamentous material at the end of mitosis and show that it mirrors disassembly. It is dem…

Glucocorticoid receptor regulates organic cation transporter 1 (OCT1, SLC22A1) expression via HNF4α upregulation in primary human hepatocytes

2013

Abstract Background Organic cation transporter 1 (OCT1, SLC22A1) is a membrane transporter that is important for therapeutic effect of the antidiabetic drug metformin. Its liver-specific expression in hepatocytes is strongly controlled by hepatocyte nuclear factor-4α (HNF4α). HNF4α expression and transcriptional activity have been demonstrated to be augmented by glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in human hepatocytes and rodent livers. Methods It was examined whether GR activation indirectly induces OCT1 gene expression via HNF4α up-regulation in primary human hepatocytes.We also examined which other transcription factors are involved in OCT1 gene expression and whether they are regulated by dexa…

Equilibrium coverage fluctuations: a new approach to quantify reversible adsorption of proteins.

2005

Coordinated Sumoylation and Ubiquitination Modulate EGF Induced EGR1 Expression and Stability

2011

Background Human early growth response-1 (EGR1) is a member of the zing-finger family of transcription factors induced by a range of molecular and environmental stimuli including epidermal growth factor (EGF). In a recently published paper we demonstrated that integrin/EGFR cross-talk was required for Egr1 expression through activation of the Erk1/2 and PI3K/Akt/Forkhead pathways. EGR1 activity and stability can be influenced by many different post-translational modifications such as acetylation, phosphorylation, ubiquitination and the recently discovered sumoylation. The aim of this work was to assess the influence of sumoylation on EGF induced Egr1 expression and/or stability. Methods We …

Increased resistance to oxidation of betalain-enriched human low density lipoproteins

2003

Betalains are natural pigments recently considered as compounds with potential antioxidative properties. In this work, ex vivo plasma spiking of pure either betanin or indicaxanthin, followed by isolation of low density lipoprotein (LDL), and measurement of its resistance to copper-induced oxidation, has been used to research if these betalains can bind to LDL and prevent oxidation of LDL lipids. When pooled human plasma from 10 healthy volunteers was incubated in the presence of 25-100 microM either betanin or indicaxanthin, incorporation of both compounds in LDL was observed, with a maximum binding of 0.52 +/- 0.08, and 0.51 +/- 0.06 nmoles of indicaxanthin and betanin, respectively, per …

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.

Ultrafast excitation dynamics of low energy pigments in reconstituted peripheral light-harvesting complexes of photosystem I

2000

AbstractUltrafast dynamics of a reconstituted Lhca4 subunit from the peripheral LHCI-730 antenna of photosystem I of higher plants were probed by femtosecond absorption spectroscopy at 77 K. Intramonomeric energy transfer from chlorophyll (Chl) b to Chl a and energy equilibration between Chl a molecules observed on the subpicosecond time scale are largely similar to subpicosecond energy equilibration processes within LHCII monomers. However, a 5 ps equilibration process in Lhca4 involves unique low energy Chls in LHCI absorbing at 705 nm. These pigments localize the excitation both in the Lhca4 subunit and in LHCI-730 heterodimers. An additional 30–50 ps equilibration process involving red …

Transcription of human neuronal nitric oxide synthase mRNAs derived from different first exons is partly controlled by exon 1-specific promoter seque…

2006

AbstractThe human neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS1) gene is subject to extensive splicing. A total of 12 NOS1 mRNA species have been identified. They differ in their 5′ ends and are derived from 12 different first exons (termed exons 1a to 1l). Various cell lines whose NOS1 first exon expression patterns were representative of human brain, skin, and skeletal muscle were identified. These included A673 neuroepithelioma cells, SK-N-MC neuroblastoma cells, HaCaT keratinocyte-like cells, and C2C12 myocyte-like cells. In these cell lines, correlations were found between the exon 1 variants preferentially expressed and the promoter activities of their cognate 5′ flanking sequences. These data…