Search results for "cell signaling"

Plasmalogens and cell‐cell communication between retinal glial cells

2017

National audience; Purpose Plasmalogens are glycerophospholipids containing a vinyl‐ether bond at sn‐1 position of their glycerol backbone and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) at sn‐2. We have previously shown that plasmalogens are involved in the regulation of perinatal retinal vascular development and particularly in astrocyte template formation (Saab et al, PLoSONE 2012 9(6):e101076). Since retinal Müller cells and astrocytes can communicate through calcium waves and connexin 43‐rich gap junctions, the aim of our study was to determine whether a reduction of plasmalogen levels affects communication between retinal glial cells. Methods Primary Müller cells and astrocyte were isolated f…

Resveratrol reduces oxidative stress and cell death and increases mitochondrial antioxidants and XIAP in PC6.3-cells.

2010

Resveratrol, a polyphenol derived e.g. from red grapes, has been shown to mediate several positive biological actions such as protection of cells against oxidative stress. It can also influence cell signaling, but the mechanisms behind its antioxidant properties are largely unknown. Here we show that RSV reduces oxidative stress and enhances cell survival in PC6.3 cells depending on the concentration. In these cells, RSV increased the levels of antioxidants, SOD2 and TRX2, and of X chromosome-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein. RSV also activated NFκB signaling as shown using luciferase reporter constructs. These findings show that RSV regulates oxidative stress and mitochondrial antioxi…

PON3 is upregulated in cancer tissues and protects against mitochondrial superoxide-mediated cell death

2012

To achieve malignancy, cancer cells convert numerous signaling pathways, with evasion from cell death being a characteristic hallmark. The cell death machinery represents an anti-cancer target demanding constant identification of tumor-specific signaling molecules. Control of mitochondrial radical formation, particularly superoxide interconnects cell death signals with appropriate mechanistic execution. Superoxide is potentially damaging, but also triggers mitochondrial cytochrome c release. While paraoxonase (PON) enzymes are known to protect against cardiovascular diseases, recent data revealed that PON2 attenuated mitochondrial radical formation and execution of cell death. Another famil…

Differential regulation of the clusterin gene by Ha-ras and c-myc oncogenes and during apoptosis

1998

Clusterin (ApoJ) is an extracellular glycoprotein expressed during processes of tissue differentiation and regression that involve programmed cell death (apoptosis). Increased clusterin expression has also been found in tumors, however, the mechanism underlying this induction is not known. Apoptotic processes in tumors could be responsible for clusterin gene activation. Alternatively, oncogenic mutations could modulate signal transduction, thereby inducing the gene. We examined the response of the rat clusterin gene to two oncogenes, Ha-ras and c-myc, in transfected Rat1 fibroblasts. While c-myc overexpression did not modify clusterin gene activity, the Ha-ras oncogene produced a seven to t…

Lafora disease fibroblasts exemplify the molecular interdependence between thioredoxin 1 and the proteasome in mammalian cells

2013

13 páginas, 8 figuras (que no aparecen en este documento, se pueden consultar en: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0891584913003274#ec0005)

A specific CD4 epitope bound by tregalizumab mediates activation of regulatory T cells by a unique signaling pathway

2014

CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) represent a specialized subpopulation of T cells, which are essential for maintaining peripheral tolerance and preventing autoimmunity. The immunomodulatory effects of Tregs depend on their activation status. Here we show that, in contrast to conventional anti-CD4 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), the humanized CD4-specific monoclonal antibody tregalizumab (BT-061) is able to selectively activate the suppressive properties of Tregs in vitro. BT-061 activates Tregs by binding to CD4 and activation of signaling downstream pathways. The specific functionality of BT-061 may be explained by the recognition of a unique, conformational epitope on domain 2 of th…

2014

In vertebrate nervous systems myelination of neuronal axons has evolved to increase conduction velocity of electrical impulses with minimal space and energy requirements. Myelin is formed by specialised glial cells which ensheath axons with a lipid-rich insulating membrane. Myelination is a multi-step process initiated by axon-glia recognition triggering glial polarisation followed by targeted myelin membrane expansion and compaction. Thereby, a myelin sheath of complex subdomain structure is established. Continuous communication between neurons and glial cells is essential for myelin maintenance and axonal integrity. A diverse group of diseases, from multiple sclerosis to schizophrenia, ha…

A natural-like synthetic small molecule impairs bcr-abl signaling cascades and induces megakaryocyte differentiation in erythroleukemia cells

2013

Over the past years, we synthesized a series of new molecules that are hybrids of spirocyclic ketones as complexity-bearing cores with bi- and ter-phenyls as privileged fragments. Some of these newly-shaped small molecules showed antiproliferative, pro-apoptotic and differentiating activity in leukemia cell lines. In the present study, to investigate more in depth the mechanisms of action of these molecules, the protein expression profiles of K562 cells treated with or without the compounds IND_S1, MEL_T1, IND_S7 and MEL_S3 were analyzed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry. Proteome comparisons revealed several differentially expressed proteins, mainly r…

Endocytosis in cultured neurons is altered by chronic alcohol exposure.

2010

Endocytosis is required for many cellular pivotal processes, including membrane recycling, nutrient uptake, and signal transduction. This complex process is particularly relevant in polarized cells, such as neurons. Previous studies have demonstrated that alcohol alters intracellular traffic, including endocytosis, in several cell types. However, information on the effect of chronic alcohol exposure on this process in neurons is scarce. As an approach, we investigated the effect of alcohol exposure on the internalization of two widely used endocytic markers, albumin and transferrin, in developing hippocampal neurons in primary culture. The effect of this treatment on the levels of several r…

p53 as the main traffic controller of the cell signaling network

2010

Among different pathological conditions that affect human beings, cancer has received a great deal of attention primarily because it leads to significant morbidity and mortality. This is essentially due to increasing world-wide incidence of this disease and the inability to discover the cause and molecular mechanisms by which normal human cells acquire the characteristics that define cancer cells. Since the discovery of p53 over a quarter of a century ago, it is now recognized that virtually all cell fate pathways of live cells and the decision to die are under the control of p53. Such extensive involvement indicates that p53 protein is acting as a major traffic controller in the cell signa…