Search results for "reverse transcriptase"
showing 10 items of 715 documents
Increasing functional avidity of TCR-redirected T cells by removing defined N-glycosylation sites in the TCR constant domain
2009
Adoptive transfer of T lymphocytes transduced with a T cell receptor (TCR) to impart tumor reactivity has been reported as a potential strategy to redirect immune responses to target cancer cells (Schumacher, T.N. 2002. Nat. Rev. Immunol. 2:512-519). However, the affinity of most TCRs specific for shared tumor antigens that can be isolated is usually low. Thus, strategies to increase the affinity of TCRs or the functional avidity of TCR-transduced T cells might be therapeutically beneficial. Because glycosylation affects the flexibility, movement, and interactions of surface molecules, we tested if selectively removing conserved N-glycoslyation sites in the constant regions of TCR alpha or …
Docosahexaenoic acid modulates the expression of T-bet and GATA-3 transcription factors, independently of PPARα, through suppression of MAP kinase ac…
2009
The present study was conducted on CD4(+) T cells, isolated from wild type (WT) and PPARalpha(null) mice, in order to assess the mechanism of action of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an n-3 fatty acid, in the modulation of two transcription factors, i.e., T-bet and GATA-3, implicated in T-cell differentiation towards, respectively, T(H)1 and T(H)2 phenotype. The T-cells from PPARalpha(null) mice secreted higher IFN-gamma and lower IL-4 concentrations than WT T-cells. Furthermore, the deletion of PPARalpha gene in T-cells resulted in the upregulation of T-bet and downregulation of GATA-3 both at mRNA and protein levels. DHA exerted not only an inhibitory effect on T-cell proliferation, but also…
Risk factors associated with adverse fetal outcomes in pregnancies affected by Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a secondary analysis of the WAPM …
2020
Abstract Objectives To evaluate the strength of association between maternal and pregnancy characteristics and the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes in pregnancies with laboratory confirmed COVID-19. Methods Secondary analysis of a multinational, cohort study on all consecutive pregnant women with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from February 1, 2020 to April 30, 2020 from 73 centers from 22 different countries. A confirmed case of COVID-19 was defined as a positive result on real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) assay of nasal and pharyngeal swab specimens. The primary outcome was a composite adverse fetal outcome, defined as the presence of either abortion (pre…
EcFLO, a FLORICAULA-like gene from Eschscholzia californica is expressed during organogenesis at the vegetative shoot apex.
2003
FLORICAULA/ LEAFY-like genes were initially characterized as flower meristem identity genes. In a range of angiosperms, expression occurs also in vegetative shoot apices and developing leaves, and in some species with dissected leaves expression is perpetuated during organogenesis at the leaf marginal blastozone. The evolution of these expression patterns and associated functions is not well understood. We have isolated and characterized a FLORICAULA-like gene from California Poppy, Eschscholzia californica Cham. (Papaveraceae), a species belonging to the basal eudicot clade Ranunculales. EcFLO encodes a putative 416-amino-acid protein with highest similarity to homologous genes from Trocho…
Deficient expression of components of the MHC class I antigen processing machinery in human cervical carcinoma.
2001
In cervical carcinomas abnormalities in the MHC class I surface expression are a frequent event, which are often associated with the deficient expression of the peptide transporter subunit TAP1 thereby resulting in impaired T cell response. In order to understand the role of other components of the MHC class I antigen processing machinery (APM) in the immune escape, 16 surgically removed primary cervical carcinoma lesions were analyzed for their mRNA expression of the heterodimeric peptide transporter TAP, the constitutive and interferon (IFN)-gamma inducible proteasome subunits and their activators PA28alpha/beta, various chaperones as well as MHC class I antigens. High expression levels o…
Role of glutathione in the induction of apoptosis and c-fos and c-jun mRNAs by oxidative stress in tumor cells.
2003
We have used two tumor cell clones (B9 and G2), derived from the methylcholanthrene-induced murine fibrosarcoma GR9 and normal BALB/c3T3 fibroblasts, to study the ability of t-BOOH derived reactive oxygen radicals to induce oxidative stress, apoptosis and c-fos and c-jun mRNA transcription. These clones differ in terms of their major histocompatibility complex (MHC) (H-2) class I genes expression, their tumor induction and metastatic potential and their reduced glutathione (GSH) levels. Incubation of both cell clones in the presence of t-BOOH results in the increase of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) and malondialdehyde and the decrease of GSH. The xenobiotic also induces the transcripti…
Expression of the IAPs in multidrug resistant tumor cells
2003
We have investigated the expression of the IAPs (inhibitory of apoptosis proteins) in the human HL-60 leukemia and in its multidrug resistant, P-glycoprotein (P-gp) over-expressing variant, HL-60R. HL-60R exhibits resistance to apoptosis induced from P-gp substrate drugs and also from other triggers (cisplatin, TNF-alpha, Fas ligation, TRAIL, IFN-gamma and serum starvation) not related to the multidrug transporter. Except for c-IAP-1 mRNA, HL-60R significantly over-expressed both the mRNAs and the proteins of all the IAPs studied, i.e. c-IAP-1, c-IAP-2, XIAP, NAIP and survivin. Determination of the DNA-binding capacity of NF-kappaB (p50 or p65 subunits) indicated that, while HL-60 cells sho…
Osteosarcoma cell-derived exosomes affect tumor microenvironment by specific packaging of microRNAs
2018
Abstract Bone microenvironment provides growth and survival signals essential for osteosarcoma (OS) initiation and progression. OS cells regulate communications inside tumor microenvironment through different ways and, among all, tumor-derived exosomes support cancer progression and metastasis. To define the contribution of OS-derived exosomes inside the microenvironment, we investigated the effects induced in bone remodeling mechanism and tumor angiogenesis. We demonstrated that exosomes promoted osteoclasts differentiation and bone resorption activity. Furthermore, exosomes potentiated tube formation of endothelial cells and increased angiogenic markers expression. We therefore investigat…
Spontaneous mutagenesis in Csb(m/m)Ogg1⁻(/)⁻ mice is attenuated by dietary resveratrol.
2010
Oxidative DNA modifications such as 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) are generated endogenously in apparently all living cells. The defect of the repair of 8-oxoG in Csb m/m Ogg1 ―/― mice results in elevated basal levels of these lesions and increased frequencies of spontaneous mutations, which initiate tumorigenesis in the liver if cell proliferation is stimulated. Here, we describe that the phytoalexin resveratrol, applied either for 7 days per gavage (100 mg/kg body wt) or for 3―9 months in the diet (0.04% ad libitum), reduces the endogenous oxidative DNA base damage in the livers of the Csb m/m Ogg1 ―/― mice by 20―30% (P < 0.01). A small but consistent effect is also observed in the wi…
A novel tumour associated leucine zipper protein targeting to sites of gene transcription and splicing
2002
We describe here the definition and characterization of antigen CT-8/HOM-TES-85 encoded by a previously unknown gene and identified by serological expression screening using antibodies from a seminoma patient. Intriguingly, the leucine zipper region of CT-8/HOM-TES-85 shows an atypical amphipathy with clusters of hydrophobic residues that is exclusively shared by the N-myc proto-oncogene. CT-8/HOM-TES-85 gene is tightly silenced in normal tissues except for testis. However, it is frequently activated in human neoplasms of different types including lung cancer, ovarian cancer, melanoma and glioma. Endogenous as well as heterogeneously expressed CT-8/HOM-TES-85 targets predominantly to the nu…