Phosphorylation of P-glycoprotein (PGP) by some protein kinases may play an important role in the regulation of its drug transport activity, and may also be important for the development of multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype. In the present study we investigated the expression of three groups of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). The expression of ERKs, SAPK/JNKs and p38-MAPK was stud...

In antidiuresis, the intrarenal distribution of HSP25/27, alphaB-crystallin, HSP72, OSP94 and HSP110 corresponds to the osmotic gradient between cortex and papilla: low amounts in the cortex and high values in the inner medulla and papilla. In addition, medullary HSP72 levels change appropriately with the diuretic state. Studies on MDCK cells suggest that, in the renal medulla in vivo, stressor...

OBJECTIVE Cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles have been shown to protect cells in culture from lethal stress, but no protection in vivo has been reported. Cardiac-specific expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 in mice causes ischemic cardiomyopathy associated with activation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of CeO2 nanoparticle...

Cigarette smoking among reproductive-aged women is increasing worldwide. Cigarette smoking is a lifestyle behavior associated with important adverse health effects including subfertility and premature ovarian failure. We previously demonstrated that cigarette smoke (CS) exposure in mice decreases the primordial follicle pool; however, the mechanism of action is largely unknown. Therefore, the p...

The adult cerebellar cortex is comprised of reproducible arrays of transverse zones and parasagittal stripes of Purkinje cells. Adult stripes are created through the perinatal rostrocaudal dispersion of embryonic Purkinje cell clusters, triggered by signaling through the Reelin pathway. Reelin is secreted by neurons in the external granular layer and deep cerebellar nuclei and binds to two high...

Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) has a major role in mediating survival responses to a range of central nervous system insults, functioning as a protein chaperone, an antioxidant, and through inhibition of cell death pathways. We have used transgenic mice overexpressing HSP27 (HSP27tg) to examine the role of HSP27 in cerebral ischemia, using model of permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCA...

Using the differential PCR display method to select cDNA fragments that are differentially expressed after hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation, we have isolated from activated HSCs a cDNA that corresponds to rat alphaB-crystallin. Northern blots confirmed expression of alphaB-crystallin in culture-activated HSCs but not in quiescent HSCs. Western blot analysis and immunocytochemical staining...

A fundamental feature of implantation is synchronized development of the embryo to the blastocyst stage and differentiation of the uterus to the receptive state. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a bacterial endotoxin, is a component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and its detection in biologic fluids is an evidence of microbial invasion of a sterile compartment, such as the amniotic ca...

Eukaryotic cells exhibit a characteristic response to hyperthermic treatment, involving morphological and cytoskeletal alterations and the induction of heat shock protein synthesis. Small GTPases of the Ras superfamily are known to serve as molecular switches which mediate responses to extracellular stimuli. We addressed here how small GTPase Rac1 integrates signals from heat stress and simulta...