The protein N-Myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) is implicated in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, and cellular stress response. NDRG1 is expressed in primary human trophoblasts, where it promotes cell viability and resistance to hypoxic injury. The mechanism of action of NDRG1 remains unknown. To gain further insight into the intracellular action of NDRG1, we analyze...

N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) has been reported to be a multifunctional protein associated with carcinogenesis and tumor progression. However, the cellular function of NDRG1 remains elusive in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). No NDRG1 expression is observed in normal liver tissue. Overexpression of NDRG1 has been observed in human HCC, particularly with aggressive invasion, met...

The best studied oncogenic mechanisms are inactivating defects in both alleles of tumor suppressor genes and activating mutations in oncogenes. Chromosomal gains and losses are frequent in human tumors, but for many regions, like 1p36 and 17q in neuroblastoma, no mutated tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes were identified. Amplification of N-myc in neuroblastoma is strongly correlated with loss...

Objective(s) Nonviral vector can be an attractive alternative to gene delivery in experimental study. In spite of some advantages in comparison with the viral vectors, there are still some limitations for efficiency of gene delivery in nonviral vectors. To determine the effective expression, the recombinant Escherichia coli lacZ genes were cloned into the different variants of pcDNA3.1 and the...

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) is a secreted polypeptide that plays essential roles in cellular development and homeostasis. Although mechanisms of TGFβ-induced responses have been characterized, our understanding of TGFβ signaling remains incomplete. Here, we uncover a novel function for the protein kinase NDR1 (nuclear Dbf2-related 1) in TGFβ responses. Using an immunopurification app...

BACKGROUND The timely assessment and treatment of ICU patients is important for neurosurgeons and neurointensivists. We hypothesized that the use of RTP can improve physician rapid response to unstable ICU patients. METHODS This is a prospective study using a before-after, cohort-control design to test the effectiveness of RTP. Physicians used RTP to make rounds in the ICU in response to nurs...

Robert Treat Paine III passed away June 13 in Seattle surrounded by family and friends. RTP, as he was known, was an emeritus Professor at the University of Washington, where he developed a career that helped define the field of community ecology. Ever an avid naturalist who paid close attention to the specifics of a bird song or a starfish’s diet, RTP’s best-known contributions were the concep...

It has been a tough challenge to hunt for effective therapeutic targets for acute leukemia bearing mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) fusion genes. The MLL gene which maps to human chromosome 11 band q23 (11q23) is frequently involved in chromosome translocations in around 10% of total leukemia, including 5-10% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and 80% of infant acute leukemia. The critic...