Adenosine inhibits growth of vascular smooth muscle cells. The goals of this study were to determine which adenosine receptor subtype mediates the antimitogenic effects of adenosine and to investigate the signal transduction mechanisms involved. In rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells, platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) (25 ng/mL) stimulated DNA synthesis ([(3)H]thymidine incorporat...

The objectives of the present study were to determine whether adenosine attenuates proliferation of glomerular mesangial cells (GMCs), which adenosine receptor (AR) mediates the antimitogeneic actions of adenosine, and the cellular mechanisms by which adenosine inhibits growth of GMCs. Studies were conducted in both human and rat GMCs. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB (25 ng/mL) increas...

Synthetic oligonucleotides are used to regulate gene expression through different mechanisms. Chemical modifications of the backbone of the nucleic acid and/or of the 2' moiety of the ribose can increase nuclease stability and/or binding affinity of oligonucleotides to target molecules. Here we report that transfection of 2'-F-modified phosphorothioate oligonucleotides into cells can reduce the...

Adenosine inhibits growth of cardiac fibroblasts; however, the adenosine receptor subtype that mediates this antimitogenic effect remains undefined. Therefore, the goals of this study were to determine which adenosine receptor subtype mediates the antimitogenic effects of adenosine and to investigate the signal transduction mechanisms involved. In rat left ventricular cardiac fibroblasts, PDGF-...

Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) mediates triglyceride and cholesteryl ester (CE) transfer between lipoproteins, and its activity is strongly modulated by dietary cholesterol. To better understand the regulation of CETP synthesis and the relationship between CETP levels and cellular lipid metabolism, we selected the SW872 adipocytic cell line as a model. These cells secrete CETP in a t...

Background. Proliferation of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) plays an important role in vascular pathobiology, being involved in the development of coronary restenosis and atherosclerosis. The activation of nuclear proto-oncogenes appears to be a final common pathway onto which various mitogenic signals converge. Accordingly, we attempted to determine whether the activation of the c-myc nuclear prot...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a highly heterogeneous disease with respect to its joint destructivity. The reasons underlying this heterogeneity are unknown. Deficient apoptosis in rheumatoid synovial tissue has been recently demonstrated. We have therefore decided to study the synovial expression of survivin, a key member of the apoptosis inhibitor family. The levels of survivin and antibodies a...

Modified 8–17 DNAzymes that can induce target gene silencing in cells were developed based on the X-ray crystal structure of DNAzyme and modifications used designing antisense oligonucleotides.

Oocytes of almost all vertebrates become arrested at metaphase II to await fertilization. Arrest is achieved with the participation of a protein complex known as cytostatic factor (CSF) that stabilizes histone H1 kinase activity. MOS and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) are important components of CSF. Strain LT/Sv mice, and strains related to LT/Sv, produce a high percentage of atypical...