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Native Cells (native + cell)
Selected AbstractsMutation screening of interferon regulatory factor 1 gene (IRF-1) as a candidate gene for atopy/asthmaCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY, Issue 11 2000E. Noguchi Background IL-4 gene cluster on chromosome 5 contains several candidate genes for atopy and asthma. Several independent studies have shown evidence for linkage between the markers flanking IL-4 gene cluster and asthma and/or asthma-related traits. Interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1) is located approximately 300 kb telomeric to IL-4 and recent study reveals that IRF-1 deficiency results in an elevated production of Th2-related cytokines and a compensatory decrease in the expression of native cell- and Th1-related cytokines. Objective To determine if there are any mutations associated with the development of atopy and asthma present in the coding exons and 5, flanking region of the IRF-1 gene. Methods and results We have screened the promoter and coding regions of the IRF-1 gene in atopic asthmatics and controls by SSCP method. We found three novel nuclear variants (the ,300G/T and 4396 A/G polymorphisms and the 6355G > A rare variant) in the IRF-1 gene. No variants causing amino acid alterations of IRF-1 were detected. The ,300G/T polymorphism was in nearly complete linkage disequilibrium with the 4396 A/G polymorphism. An association between the 4396 A > G polymorphism and atopy/asthma was examined by transmission disequilibrium test in 81 asthmatic families. Either of 4396 A or 4396G alleles was not significantly preferentially transmitted to atopy- or asthma-affected children. Conclusion The IRF-1 gene is less likely to play a substantial role in the development of atopy and asthma in the Japanese population. [source] Presenilin 1 is involved in the maturation of ,-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1)JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH, Issue 1 2007Akira Kuzuya Abstract One of the pathologic hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease is the excessive deposition of ,-amyloid peptides (A,) in senile plaques. A, is generated when ,-amyloid precursor protein (APP) is cleaved sequentially by ,-secretase, identified as ,-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1), and ,-secretase, a putative enzymatic complex containing presenilin 1 (PS1). However, functional interaction between PS1 and BACE1 has never been known. In addition to this classical role in the generation of A, peptides, it has also been proposed that PS1 affects the intracellular trafficking and maturation of selected membrane proteins. We show that the levels of exogenous and endogenous mature BACE1 expressed in presenilin-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts (PS,/,MEFs) were reduced significantly compared to those in wild-type MEFs. Moreover, the levels of mature BACE1 were increased in human neuroblastoma cell line, SH-SY5Y, stably expressing wild-type PS1, compared to native cells. Conversely, the maturation of BACE1 was compromised under the stable expression of dominant,negative mutant PS1 overexpression. Immunoprecipitation assay showed that PS1 preferably interacts with proBACE1 rather than mature BACE1, indicating that PS1 can be directly involved in the maturation process of BACE1. Further, endogenous PS1 was immunoprecipitated with endogenous BACE1 in SH-SY5Y cells and mouse brain tissue. We conclude that PS1 is directly involved in the maturation of BACE1, thus possibly functioning as a regulator of both ,- and ,-secretase in A, generation. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Photosensory Functions of Channelrhodopsins in Native Algal Cells,PHOTOCHEMISTRY & PHOTOBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Oleg A. Sineshchekov Photomotility responses in flagellate alga are mediated by two types of sensory rhodopsins (A and B). Upon photoexcitation they trigger a cascade of transmembrane currents which provide sensory transduction of light stimuli. Both types of algal sensory rhodopsins demonstrate light-gated ion channel activities when heterologously expressed in animal cells, and therefore they have been given the alternative names channelrhodopsin 1 and 2. In recent publications their channel activity has been assumed to initiate the transduction chain in the native algal cells. Here we present data showing that: (1) the modes of action of both types of sensory rhodopsins are different in native cells such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii than in heterologous expression systems, and also differ between the two types of rhodopsins; (2) the primary function of Type B sensory rhodopsin (channelrhodopsin-2) is biochemical activation of secondary Ca2+ -channels with evidence for amplification and a diffusible messenger, sufficient for mediating phototaxis and photophobic responses; (3) Type A sensory rhodopsin (channelrhodopsin-1) mediates avoidance responses by direct channel activity under high light intensities and exhibits low-efficiency amplification. These dual functions of algal sensory rhodopsins enable the highly sophisticated photobehavior of algal cells. [source] Pharmacology of transient receptor potential melastatin channels in the vasculatureBRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 8 2010Alexander Zholos Mammalian transient receptor potential melastatin (TRPM) non-selective cation channels, the largest TRP subfamily, are widely expressed in excitable and non-excitable cells where they perform diverse functions ranging from detection of cold, taste, osmolarity, redox state and pH to control of Mg2+ homeostasis and cell proliferation or death. Recently, TRPM gene expression has been identified in vascular smooth muscles with dominance of the TRPM8 channel. There has been in parallel considerable progress in decoding the functional roles of several TRPMs in the vasculature. This research on native cells is aided by the knowledge of the activation mechanisms and pharmacological properties of heterologously expressed TRPM subtypes. This paper summarizes the present state of knowledge of vascular TRPM channels and outlines several anticipated directions of future research in this area. [source] | |||||||||||||