The early stages of many neurodegenerative diseases and age-related degeneration are characterized by neurite damage and compromised synaptic function that precede neuronal cell death. We investigated the signaling mechanisms underlying neurite degeneration using cortical neuron cultures. Inhibition of heme synthesis caused neurite damage, without neuronal death, and was mediated by ... More
Synthesis and characterization of a novel glycopolymer with protective activity toward human anti-alpha-Gal antibodies.
AuthorsVetere A, Donati I, Campa C, Semeraro S, Gamini A, Paoletti S,
JournalGlycobiology
PubMed ID12042251
'An efficient and rapid synthesis of the derivative of the biocompatible polymer poly(styrene co-maleic acid) with Linear B disaccharide (Galili antigen) was achieved. The oligosaccharide portion was obtained by a transglycosylation reaction catalyzed by coffee bean alpha-D-galactosidase using p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-galactopyranoside both as donor and as acceptor. The reaction was carried out ... More
Increased atrial and brain natriuretic peptides in adults with cyanotic congenital heart disease: enhanced understanding of the relationship between hypoxia and natriuretic peptide secretion.
AuthorsHopkins WE, Chen Z, Fukagawa NK, Hall C, Knot HJ, LeWinter MM,
JournalCirculation
PubMed ID15173030
'Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels are used in the evaluation of patients with heart disease, yet there is little understanding of the effect of hypoxia on natriuretic peptide secretion. Furthermore, recent data suggest that oxytocin may mediate stretch-induced atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) secretion. Ten patients with cyanotic congenital heart defects ... More
Automated image analysis of live/dead staining of the fungus Aureobasidium pullulans on microscope slides and leaf surfaces.
AuthorsNelson CD, Spear RN, Andrews JH
JournalBiotechniques
PubMed ID11056819
'An image analysis program and protocol for the identification and enumeration of live versus dead cells of the yeast-like fungus Aureobasidium pullulans was developed for both populations on microscope slides and leaf surfaces. Live cells took up CellTracker Blue, while nonviable cells stained with DEAD Red. Image analysis macro programs ... More
Rapid reduction of intracellular glutathione in human bronchial epithelial cells exposed to occupational levels of toluene diisocyanate.
AuthorsLantz RC, Lemus R, Lange RW, Karol MH
JournalToxicol Sci
PubMed ID11248147
'Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) is a recognized chemical asthmogen, yet the mechanism of this toxicity and the molecular reactions involved have not been elucidated. We have previously shown that TDI vapor forms adducts with the apical surface of the respiratory epithelium, and that it colocalizes with ciliary tubulin. In vitro, we ... More
The nonreceptor tyrosine kinase fer mediates cross-talk between N-cadherin and beta1-integrins.
AuthorsArregui C, Pathre P, Lilien J, Balsamo J
JournalJ Cell Biol
PubMed ID10851023
'Cadherins and integrins must function in a coordinated manner to effectively mediate the cellular interactions essential for development. We hypothesized that exchange of proteins associated with their cytoplasmic domains may play a role in coordinating function. To test this idea, we used Trojan peptides to introduce into cells and tissues ... More
Cytoskeletal effects induced by pet, the serine protease enterotoxin of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli.
AuthorsNavarro-García F, Sears C, Eslava C, Cravioto A, Nataro JP,
JournalInfect Immun
PubMed ID10225873
'We have previously described enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) strains that induce cytotoxic effects on T84 cells, ligated rat ileal loops, and human intestine in culture. Such strains secrete a 104-kDa protein termed Pet (for plasmid-encoded toxin). We have also shown previously that the Pet toxin induces rises in short-circuit current ... More
NF-kappaB-mediated modulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase activity controls induction of the Epstein-Barr virus productive cycle by transforming growth factor beta 1.
AuthorsOussaief L, Ramírez V, Hippocrate A, Arbach H, Cochet C, Proust A, Raphaël M, Khelifa R, Joab I,
JournalJ Virol
PubMed ID21507981
'Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-ß1) signal transduction has been implicated in many second-messenger pathways, including the NF-?B pathway. We provide evidence of a novel TGF-ß1-mediated pathway that leads to extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 phosphorylation, which in turn induces expression of an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) protein, ZEBRA, that is ... More
A release mechanism for stored ATP in ocular ciliary epithelial cells.
AuthorsMitchell CH, Carré DA, McGlinn AM, Stone RA, Civan MM,
JournalProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
PubMed ID9618558
'Purines can modify ciliary epithelial secretion of aqueous humor into the eye. The source of the purinergic agonists acting in the ciliary epithelium, as in many epithelial tissues, is unknown. We found that the fluorescent ATP marker quinacrine stained rabbit and bovine ciliary epithelia but not the nerve fibers in ... More
Osmosensitive taurine transporter expression and activity in human corneal epithelial cells.
AuthorsShioda R, Reinach PS, Hisatsune T, Miyamoto Y,
JournalInvest Ophthalmol Vis Sci
PubMed ID12202510
'To characterize in SV40-immortalized human corneal epithelial cells (tHCEC) osmosensitive taurine transporter gene and protein expression as well as its functional activity. To evaluate whether medium supplementation with taurine improves cell viability during a hypertonic challenge. tHCEC were preincubated for up to 48 hours in hypertonic DMEM medium (i.e., up ... More
Tumor necrosis factor blockade in chronic murine tuberculosis enhances granulomatous inflammation and disorganizes granulomas in the lungs.
'Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a prototypic proinflammatory cytokine that contributes significantly to the development of immunopathology in various disease states. A complication of TNF blockade therapy, which is used increasingly for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases, is the reactivation of latent tuberculosis. This study used a low-dose aerogenic ... More
Interaction of Neisseria meningitidis with human meningeal cells induces the secretion of a distinct group of chemotactic, proinflammatory, and growth-factor cytokines.
AuthorsChristodoulides M, Makepeace BL, Partridge KA, Kaur D, Fowler MI, Weller RO, Heckels JE,
JournalInfect Immun
PubMed ID12117909
'The interactions of Neisseria meningitidis with cells of the leptomeninges are pivotal events in the progression of bacterial leptomeningitis. An in vitro model based on the culture of human meningioma cells was used to investigate the role of the leptomeninges in the inflammatory response. Following challenge with meningococci, meningioma cells ... More
Identification of a novel marker for dendritic cell maturation, mouse transmembrane protein 123.
AuthorsTakekoshi T, Tada Y, Watanabe T, Sugaya M, Hoashi T, Komine M, Kawashima T, Shimizu T, Hau CS, Asahina A, Yokomizo T, Sato S, Tamaki K,
JournalJ Biol Chem
PubMed ID20685650
'Dendritic cells (DCs) are a group of professional antigen-presenting cells, and many genes are known to be associated with their maturation. We compared the transcriptional profiles of immature and mature mouse Langerhans cells using the suppressive, subtractive hybridization method and identified a novel gene of unknown function, termed herein transmembrane ... More
Rett syndrome microglia damage dendrites and synapses by the elevated release of glutamate.
AuthorsMaezawa I, Jin LW,
JournalJ Neurosci
PubMed ID20392956
'MECP2, an X-linked gene encoding the epigenetic factor methyl-CpG-binding protein-2, is mutated in Rett syndrome (RTT) and aberrantly expressed in autism. Most children affected by RTT are heterozygous Mecp2(-/+) females whose brain function is impaired postnatally due to MeCP2 deficiency. Recent studies suggest a role of glia in causing neuronal ... More
Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway targets acetylation of Smad3 through Smad3/CREB-binding protein interaction: contribution to transforming growth factor beta1-induced Epstein-Barr virus reactivation.
AuthorsOussaief L, Hippocrate A, Ramirez V, Rampanou A, Zhang W, Meyers D, Cole P, Khelifa R, Joab I,
JournalJ Biol Chem
PubMed ID19589780
Epstein-Barr virus, a ubiquitous human herpesvirus, is associated with the development of carcinomas and lymphomas. We previously showed that transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) mediated the virus to enter the lytic cycle, which is triggered by expression of Z Epstein-Barr virus replication activator (ZEBRA), through the ERK 1/2 MAPK signaling ... More
Impact of free-living amoebae on presence of Parachlamydia acanthamoebae in the hospital environment and its survival in vitro without requirement for amoebae.
AuthorsFukumoto T, Matsuo J, Hayashi M, Oguri S, Nakamura S, Mizutani Y, Yao T, Akizawa K, Suzuki H, Shimizu C, Matsuno K, Yamaguchi H,
JournalJ Clin Microbiol
PubMed ID20631104
Parachlamydia acanthamoebae is an obligately intracellular bacterium that infects free-living amoebae and is a potential human pathogen in hospital-acquired pneumonia. We examined whether the presence of P. acanthamoebae is related to the presence of Acanthamoeba in an actual hospital environment and assessed the in vitro survival of P. acanthamoebae. Ninety ... More
An antagonist of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 induces mitotic catastrophe in ovarian cancer cells.
AuthorsKwong J, Kulbe H, Wong D, Chakravarty P, Balkwill F,
JournalMol Cancer Ther
PubMed ID19567818
The chemokine receptor CXCR4 is expressed by malignant cells in ovarian cancer and is implicated in their growth and spread. We report here a unique mechanism of action of a small peptide antagonist of CXCR4 on ovarian cancer cells: induction of cell death by mitotic catastrophe. CTCE-9908 inhibited ovarian cancer ... More
Comparison of the inflammatory responses of human meningeal cells following challenge with Neisseria lactamica and with Neisseria meningitidis.
AuthorsFowler MI, Yin KY, Humphries HE, Heckels JE, Christodoulides M,
JournalInfect Immun
PubMed ID16954390
The rationale for the present study was to determine how different species of bacteria interact with cells of the human meninges in order to gain information that would have broad relevance to understanding aspects of the innate immune response in the brain. Neisseria lactamica is an occasional cause of meningitis ... More
EBV latent membrane protein-1 protects B cells from apoptosis by inhibition of BAX.
AuthorsGrimm T, Schneider S, Naschberger E, Huber J, Guenzi E, Kieser A, Reitmeir P, Schulz TF, Morris CA, Stürzl M,
JournalBlood
PubMed ID15613549
Latent membrane protein 1 (LMP-1) of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) promotes tumorigenesis by inhibiting apoptosis. We show that an important antiapoptotic activity of LMP-1 is the inhibition of Bcl2-associated protein X (Bax), a potent proapoptotic protein. BAX expression was regulated by LMP-1 activation of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) via the C-terminal ... More
Cellular membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) cleaves C3b, an essential component of the complement system.
Neoplasms have developed numerous strategies to protect themselves against the host immune system. Membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) is strongly associated with many cancer types and is up-regulated in the aggressive, metastatic neoplasms. During the past few years, there has been an increasing appreciation of the important, albeit incompletely understood, ... More
Tetraspanin CD82 has been implicated in integrin-mediated functions such as cell motility and invasiveness. Although tetraspanins associate with integrins, it is unknown if and how CD82 regulates the functionality of integrins. In this study, we found that Du145 prostate cancer cells underwent morphogenesis on the reconstituted basement membrane Matrigel to ... More
Effects of heavy-ion radiosurgery on the hemopoietic function of the silkworm Bombyx mori.
AuthorsTu ZL, Kobayashi Y, Kiguchi K, Watanabe H, Yamamoto K,
JournalJ Radiat Res
PubMed ID12521012
To study the effects of heavy-ion radiosurgery on the hemopoietic function of a silkworm, hemopoietic organs of larvae were locally irradiated with carbon-ion beams, and the changes in the hemocyte density and in the hemocyte function were investigated. When the larvae were irradiated by 50 Gy to 300 Gy carbon ... More
Chondrocyte repopulation of allograft cartilage: a preliminary investigation and strategy for developing cartilage matrices for reconstruction.
AuthorsKelley TF, Sutton FM, Wallace VP, Wong BJ,
JournalOtolaryngol Head Neck Surg
PubMed ID12402003
To evaluate the ability of devitalized cartilage to sustain repopulation by allogenic chondrocytes and to use 2-photon microscopy to assess cultured chondrocyte viability. At an academic medical center, we conducted experimental analysis of lagomorph nasal septa devitalized by subjecting them to either 1) chemical dehydration in ethanol, 2) lyophilization (freeze ... More
Mechanism of therapeutic effectiveness of cefixime against typhoid fever.
AuthorsMatsumoto Y, Ikemoto A, Wakai Y, Ikeda F, Tawara S, Matsumoto K,
JournalAntimicrob Agents Chemother
PubMed ID11502513
beta-Lactams have been considered ineffective against organisms growing inside mammalian cells because of their poor penetration into cells. However, cefixime has been shown to be clinically effective against typhoid fever. The probable mechanism of therapeutic effectiveness of cefixime against typhoid fever was investigated using Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium instead of ... More
Coexpressed nitric oxide synthase and apical beta(1) integrins influence tubule cell adhesion after cytokine-induced injury.
AuthorsGlynne PA, Picot J, Evans TJ,
JournalJ Am Soc Nephrol
PubMed ID11675413
In sepsis-induced acute renal failure, actin cytoskeletal alterations result in shedding of proximal tubule epithelial cells (PTEC) and tubular obstruction. This study examined the hypothesis that inflammatory cytokines, released early in sepsis, cause PTEC cytoskeletal damage and alter integrin-dependent cell-matrix adhesion. The question of whether the intermediate nitric oxide (NO) ... More
Development and characterization of a clinically compliant xeno-free culture medium in good manufacturing practice for human multipotent mesenchymal stem cells.
AuthorsChase LG, Yang S, Zachar V, Yang Z, Lakshmipathy U, Bradford J, Boucher SE, Vemuri MC,
JournalStem Cells Transl Med
PubMed ID23197667
Human multipotent mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapies are currently being tested in clinical trials for Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, graft-versus-host disease, type 1 diabetes, bone fractures, cartilage damage, and cardiac diseases. Despite remarkable progress in clinical trials, most applications still use traditional culture media containing fetal bovine serum or serum-free ... More
Hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor-2 (HAI-2) is a favorable prognosis marker and inhibits cell growth through the apoptotic pathway in cervical cancer.
AuthorsNakamura K, Abarzua F, Hongo A, Kodama J, Nasu Y, Kumon H, Hiramatsu Y,
JournalAnn Oncol
PubMed ID18689863
In light of the poor prognosis for cervical cancer, research continues into the development of innovative and efficacious treatment modalities for this disease. We investigated the role of hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor-2 (HAI-2) and evaluated its clinical importance in cervical cancer. HAI-2 expression was examined in cervical cancer specimens ... More
Cytosolic recognition of flagellin by mouse macrophages restricts Legionella pneumophila infection.
AuthorsMolofsky AB, Byrne BG, Whitfield NN, Madigan CA, Fuse ET, Tateda K, Swanson MS,
JournalJ Exp Med
PubMed ID16606669
To restrict infection by Legionella pneumophila, mouse macrophages require Naip5, a member of the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain leucine-rich repeat family of pattern recognition receptors, which detect cytoplasmic microbial products. We report that mouse macrophages restricted L. pneumophila replication and initiated a proinflammatory program of cell death when flagellin contaminated their ... More
Interactions of Neisseria gonorrhoeae with mature human macrophage opacity proteins influence production of proinflammatory cytokines.
AuthorsMakepeace BL, Watt PJ, Heckels JE, Christodoulides M,
JournalInfect Immun
PubMed ID11179372
The pathological features of ascending gonococcal infection suggest that proinflammatory mediators secreted by tissue-resident macrophages are important components of the host response. Challenge of fully differentiated, mature macrophages with variants of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain P9 or purified bacterial surface components (pili, lipooligosaccharide, and outer membrane vesicles) induced the secretion of ... More
Trehalose protects corneal epithelial cells from death by drying.
AuthorsMatsuo T,
JournalBr J Ophthalmol
PubMed ID11316726
This study was designed to examine whether trehalose could protect corneal epithelial cells in culture from death by desiccation in order to test trehalose as a potential new eye drop for dry eye syndrome. Human corneal epithelial cells in near confluent culture in wells of a 96 well multidish were ... More
Remote control of neuronal activity with a light-gated glutamate receptor.
AuthorsSzobota S, Gorostiza P, Del Bene F, Wyart C, Fortin DL, Kolstad KD, Tulyathan O, Volgraf M, Numano R, Aaron HL, Scott EK, Kramer RH, Flannery J, Baier H, Trauner D, Isacoff EY
JournalNeuron
PubMed ID17521567
The ability to stimulate select neurons in isolated tissue and in living animals is important for investigating their role in circuits and behavior. We show that the engineered light-gated ionotropic glutamate receptor (LiGluR), when introduced into neurons, enables remote control of their activity. Trains of action potentials are optimally evoked ... More
Identification of a domain within the multifunctional Vibrio cholerae RTX toxin that covalently cross-links actin.
AuthorsSheahan KL, Cordero CL, Satchell KJ
JournalProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
PubMed ID15199181
The Gram-negative pathogen Vibrio cholerae causes diarrheal disease through the export of enterotoxins. The V. cholerae RTX toxin was previously identified and characterized by its ability to round human laryngeal epithelial (HEp-2) cells. Further investigation determined that cell rounding is caused by the depolymerization of actin stress fibers, through the ... More
Scalable Fabrication Framework of Implantable Ultrathin and Flexible Probes with Biodegradable Sacrificial Layers.
Authors
JournalNano Lett
PubMed ID29115844
Microbial adhesion of Cryptosporidium parvum: identification of a colostrum-derived inhibitory lipid.
Authors
JournalMol Biochem Parasitol
PubMed ID18675305
Effects of Lidocaine and Articaine on Neuronal Survival and Recovery.
Authors
JournalAnesth Prog
PubMed ID29952644
Differential Effects of Processing Time and Duration of Collagenase Digestion on Human and Murine Fat Grafts.
Authors
JournalPlast Reconstr Surg
PubMed ID26218393
Cellular Nutrition in Complex Three-Dimensional Scaffolds: A Comparison between Experiments and Computer Simulations.