OBJECTIVE To investigate astaxanthin (ATX) neuroprotection, and its mechanism, on a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-pyridine ion (MPP+)-induced cell model of Parkinson's disease. METHODS Mature, differentiated PC12 cells treated with MPP+ were used as an in vitro cell model. The MTT assay was used to investigate cell viability after ATX treatment, and western blot analysis was used to observe Sp1 (activate...

Previously, we found a novel gene, nuclear receptor interaction protein (NRIP), a transcription cofactor that can enhance an AR-driven PSA promoter activity in a ligand-dependent manner in prostate cancer cells. Here, we investigated NRIP regulation. We cloned a 413-bp fragment from the transcription initiation site of the NRIP gene that had strong promoter activity, was TATA-less and GC-rich, ...

Previous studies showed that celecoxib, a cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) inhibitor, can inhibit angiogenesis and metastasis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) via the suppression of specificity protein 1 (Sp1). In this study, we investigated the prognostic value of Sp1 and COX2 in 88 PDAC patients. Our study showed there was a positive correlation between Sp1 and COX2 expression (P=0.001) by u...

The varicella zoster virus (VZV) IE62 protein is involved in the activation of expression of all three kinetic classes of VZV proteins. Analysis of the viral promoter for VZV glycoprotein I has shown that the cellular factor Sp1 is involved in or required for the observed IE62 mediated activation. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments show that the two proteins are present in a complex in VZV-infe...

In the present study we present evidence for the critical role of Sp1 in the mechanism of transactivation of the human cell cycle inhibitor p21 (p21) gene promoter by the tumor suppressor p53 protein. We found that the distal p53-binding site of the p21 promoter acts as an enhancer on the homologous or heterologous promoters in hepatoma HepG2 cells. In transfection experiments, p53 transactivat...

The monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 gene (MCP-1) is induced by the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor through the coordinate assembly of an NF-kappaB-dependent distal regulatory region and a proximal region that has been suggested to bind Sp1 as well as other factors. To provide a genetic correlation for Sp1 activity in this system, a cell line homozygous for a targeted truncation o...

AIM To study the effects of transcriptional factor Sp1 antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) on telomerase activity and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression. METHODS Antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) was designed to inhibit Sp1 expression and transferred to Jurkat T cells by lipofectamin. Telomerase PCR-ELISA was used to detect telomerase activity. RT-PCR analysis was u...

The stratified squamous epithelium is a model system in which to define molecular mechanisms underlying the switch from proliferation to differentiation. This can be achieved through the functional dissection of keratin gene promoters. Having previously established the importance of keratin 4 in maintaining the differentiated phenotype in corneal epithelial cells, we investigated the role of Sp...

Human involucrin (hINV) is an important precursor of the keratinocyte cornified envelope that is specifically expressed in the suprabasal layers of stratifying epithelia. Previous truncation and mutagenesis experiments have shown that an activator protein 1 (Ap1) site, AP1-5, located 2100bp upstream of the transcription start site, is required for optimal promoter activity. These previous studi...

PURPOSE Specificity protein 1 (SP1) is an oncogenic transcription factor overexpressed in various human malignancies. This study sought to examine SP1 expression in malignant pleural mesotheliomas (MPM) and ascertain the potential efficacy of targeting SP1 in these neoplasms. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN qRT-PCR, immunoblotting, and immunohistochemical techniques were used to evaluate SP1 expression i...