Astrocyte dysregulation correlates with the severity and the rate of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated dementia (HAD) progression, highlighting a pivotal role for astrocytes in HIV neuropathogenesis. Yet, astrocytes limit HIV, indicating that they possess an intrinsic molecular mechanism to restrict HIV replication. We previously established that this restriction can be partly overc...

Members of the ternary complex factor (TCF) subfamily of the ETS-domain transcription factors are activated through phosphorylation by mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in response to a variety of mitogenic and stress stimuli. The TCFs bind and activate serum response elements (SREs) in the promoters of target genes in a ternary complex with a second transcription factor, serum response...

Coronary artery disease is treated by vein grafting and stent implantation. Late vein graft failure and restenosis of stented arteries reduce the success rates of these approaches and are caused by neointima formation. We have previously shown that Wnt proteins are up-regulated during intimal thickening, and have speculated that these lead to activation of downstream genes with β-catenin/T-cell...

T-cell factor (Tcf)/lymphoid-enhancer factor (Lef) proteins are a structurally diverse family of deoxyribonucleic acid-binding proteins that have essential nuclear functions in Wnt/β-catenin signalling. Expression of Wnt/β-catenin target genes is highly dependent on context, but the precise role of Tcf/Lef family members in the generation and maintenance of cell-type-specific Wnt/β-catenin resp...

In prostate gland, HOXB13 is highly expressed from the embryonic stages to adulthood. However, the function of HOXB13 in normal cell growth and tumorigenesis is not yet known. We investigated the role of HOXB13 and mechanism by which it functions in HOXB13-negative cells. Expression of HOXB13 was forced in HOXB13-negative PC3 prostate cancer cells using a liposome-mediated gene transfer approac...

The WNT-TCF signaling pathway participates in adult tissue homeostasis and repair, and is hyperactive in a number of human diseases including cancers of the colon. Whereas to date there are no antagonists approved for patient use, a potential problem for their sustained use is the blockade of WNT signaling in healthy tissues, thus provoking potentially serious co-lateral damage. Here we have sc...

The influence of operating variables [viz: temperature 55-85°C, process time 30-120 min, pH 9-11,peraceticacid concentration 0.5-3.5% oven dried pulp (o.d.p.)., and sodium perborate concentration 1-5% o.d.p.] on the bleached pulp characteristics [viz: viscosity (VI), brightness (BR), kappa number (KN)], and resulting paper sheets properties [viz: breaking length (BL), stretch (ST), tear (TI), a...

Short-chain fatty acids play a critical role in colonic homeostasis because they stimulate pathways of growth arrest, differentiation, and apoptosis. These effects have been well characterized in colonic cell lines in vitro. We investigated the role of beta-catenin-Tcf signaling in these responses to butyrate and other well-characterized inducers of apoptosis of colonic epithelial cells. Unlike...

Metastasis from lung adenocarcinoma can occur swiftly to multiple organs within months of diagnosis. The mechanisms that confer this rapid metastatic capacity to lung tumors are unknown. Activation of the canonical WNT/TCF pathway is identified here as a determinant of metastasis to brain and bone during lung adenocarcinoma progression. Gene expression signatures denoting WNT/TCF activation are...

X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is a peroxisomal disorder caused by mutations in the ABCD1 gene that encodes the peroxisomal ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter subfamily D member 1 protein (ABCD1), which is referred to as the adrenoleukodystrophy protein (ALDP). Induction of the ABCD2 gene, the closest homolog of ABCD1, has been mentioned as a possible therapeutic option for the defec...