Search results for "growth"

Shikonin promotes intestinal wound healing in vitro via induction of TGF-β release in IEC-18 cells

2013

The intestinal barrier is a complex system with a dynamic structure that is designed for the maintenance of homeostasis in healthy individuals. Ulcerative colitis, one of the main manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease, is characterized by an inadequate and delayed wound healing. Shikonin, the active principle in the root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, has demonstrated its ability to attenuate dextran sulfate sodium-induced ulcerative colitis in mice. Moreover, the root of L. erythrorhizon has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of burns, anal ulcers, hemorrhoids and skin wounds. However, the effect of shikonin on intestinal wound healing is unknown. Using an in vi…

The antitumor activities of curcumin and its isoxazole analogue are not affected by multiple gene expression changes in an MDR model of the MCF-7 bre…

2007

We examined the effects of curcumin and of its isoxazole analogue MR 39 in the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line and in its multidrug-resistant (MDR) variant MCF-7R. In comparison with MCF-7, MCF-7R lacks estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) and overexpressess P-glycoprotein (P-gp), different IAPs (inhibitory of apoptosis proteins) and COX-2. Through analyses of the effects on cell proliferation, cycling and death, we have observed that the antitumor activity of curcumin and of the more potent (approximately two-fold) MR 39 is at least equal in the MDR cell line compared to the parental MCF-7. Similar results were observed also in an MDR variant of HL-60 leukemia. RT-PCR evaluations performed in M…

Inhibition of VEGF expression through blockade of Hif1a and STAT3 signalling mediates the anti-angiogenic effect of melatonin in HepG2 liver cancer c…

2013

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) growth relies on angiogenesis via vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) release. Hypoxia within tumour environment leads to intracellular stabilisation of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (Hif1α) and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT3). Melatonin induces apoptosis in HCC, and shows anti-angiogenic features in several tumours. In this study, we used human HepG2 liver cancer cells as an in vitro model to investigate the anti-angiogenic effects of melatonin. Methods: HepG2 cells were treated with melatonin under normoxic or CoCl2-induced hypoxia. Gene expression was analysed by RT–qPCR and western blot. Melatonin-induced anti-…

miR-20b modulates VEGF expression by targeting HIF-1 alpha and STAT3 in MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

2010

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate the expression of different genes, including genes involved in cancer progression. A functional link between hypoxia, a key feature of the tumor microenvironment, and miRNA expression has been documented. We investigated whether and how miR-20b can regulate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in MCF-7 breast cancer cells under normoxic and hypoxia-mimicking conditions (CoCl(2) exposure). Using immunoblotting, ELISA, and quantitative real-time PCR, we demonstrated that miR-20b decreased VEGF protein levels at 4 and 24 h following CoCl(2) treatment, and VEGF mRNA at 4 h of treatment. In addition, miR-20b reduce…

PARD3 Inactivation in Lung Squamous Cell Carcinomas Impairs STAT3 and Promotes Malignant Invasion.

2015

Abstract Correct apicobasal polarization and intercellular adhesions are essential for the appropriate development of normal epithelia. Here, we investigated the contribution of the cell polarity regulator PARD3 to the development of lung squamous cell carcinomas (LSCC). Tumor-specific PARD3 alterations were found in 8% of LSCCs examined, placing PARD3 among the most common tumor suppressor genes in this malignancy. Most PAR3-mutant proteins exhibited a relative reduction in the ability to mediate formation of tight junctions and actin-based protrusions, bind atypical protein kinase C, activate RAC1, and activate STAT3 at cell confluence. Thus, PARD3 alterations prevented the formation of c…

Structural Growth Disengagement and value creation in small and micro-firms. Mapping pathologies and physiologies of business dwarfism in a dynamic r…

This paper focuses growth disengagement, in the perspective of those firms who have been keeping their structures, processes and relational systems unchanged for a very long time. The implicit hypothesis according to which such businesses are affected by a structural disease, are not able to create any significant value, and characterised by similar features, is critically discussed. Through an analysis of the phenomenon in the business growth and dynamic resource-based-view, a first attempt taxonomy, based on case-studies, is sketched. It is demonstrated how the implicit assumption according to which such firms are affected by a pathological condition is false, at least if seen as an a pri…

Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy of Mo clusters grown on TiO2(110).

2007

Molybdenum was deposited in two steps (3 eq. ML and 1 eq. ML) on the light blue rutile TiO2 10) (1 x 1) surface at room temperature, each Mo deposition cycle being followed by an annealing up to 950-1000 K. This procedure was found to lead to formation of separated clusters having a size in very wide range (1-20 nm). Scanning tunneling microscopy showed a dependence of the cluster morphology as a function of the size. The scanning tunneling spectra of Mo clusters was studied as a function of cluster dimensions and discussed in comparison with photoelectron spectroscopy results previously obtained for homogeneous Mo films. The dI/d V curves do not display the valence band structure of deposi…

Btn2p is involved in ethanol tolerance and biofilm formation in flor yeast

2008

Flor yeasts are a particular kind of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains involved in Sherry wine biological ageing. During this process, yeasts form a film on the wine surface and use ethanol as a carbon source, producing acetaldehyde as a by-product. Acetaldehyde induces BTN2 transcription in laboratory strains. Btn2p is involved in the control of the subcellular localization of different proteins. The BTN2 gene shows a complex expression pattern in wine yeast, increasing its expression by acetaldehyde, but repressing it by ethanol. A flor yeast strain transcribes more BTN2 than a first fermentation yeast during growth, but less under different stress conditions. BTN2 deletion decreases flor …

There is a steady-state transcriptome in exponentially growing yeast cells

2010

The growth of yeast cells in batches in glucose-based media is a standard condition in most yeast laboratories. Most gene expression experiments are done by taking this condition as a reference. Presumably, cells are in a stable physiological condition that can be easily reproduced in other laboratories. With this assumption, however, it is necessary to consider that the average amount of the mRNAs per cell for most genes does not change during exponential growth. That is to say, there is a steady-state condition for the transcriptome. However, this has not been rigorously demonstrated to date. In this work we take several cell samples during the exponential phase growth to perform a kineti…

A novel process-based model of microbial growth: self-inhibition in Saccharomyces cerevisiae aerobic fed-batch cultures

2015

Microbial population dynamics in bioreactors depend on both nutrients availability and changes in the growth environment. Research is still ongoing on the optimization of bioreactor yields focusing on the increase of the maximum achievable cell density. A new process-based model is proposed to describe the aerobic growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultured on glucose as carbon and energy source. The model considers the main metabolic routes of glucose assimilation (fermentation to ethanol and respiration) and the occurrence of inhibition due to the accumulation of both ethanol and other self-produced toxic compounds in the medium. Model simulations reproduced data from classic and new expe…