BACKGROUND Herceptin (trastuzumab) is a humanized monoclonal antibody that is approved for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer patients whose tumors overexpress Her2 (erbB2/neu). Up to 70% of Her2-positive breast cancers demonstrate a response to Herceptin-based therapies, but resistance almost inevitably arises within a year of the initial response. To help understand the mechanism of He...

A new steroid, itesmol 3-O-palmitate (1), along with two known steroids were isolated from the trunk of Berberis koreana. The structure of 1 was determined on the basis of spectroscopic analyses involving 2D NMR and chemical reactions. Compound 1 exhibited potential antiproliferative activity against A549, SK-OV-3, SK-MEL-2, and HCT-15 cell lines (respective IC(50) values of 7.41, 9.20, 4.53, a...

Epithelial membrane protein 3 (EMP3) is a transmembrane signaling molecule, which is important in the regulation of apoptosis, differentiation and invasion of cancer cells. However, the specific function and regulatory mechanism of EMP3 in primary breast carcinoma remain to be elucidated. In the present study, the mRNA and protein levels of EMP3 were observed to be upregulated in primary breast...

Studies on the anti-proliferative activities of novel baicalein derivatives demonstrated that compounds 8 and 9 were able to activate AMPK by enhancing the levels of phosphorylated AMPKα, and showed more potent anti-proliferative effects than baicalein and AICAR in A431, SK-OV-3, DU 145 and HeLa cells, suggesting an alternative therapeutic approach for benzyl baicalein in cancer therapy.

We have previously shown that in afferent arterioles, angiotensin II (ANG II) involves activation of the inositol trisphosphate receptor (IP(3)R), activation of adenine diphosphoribose (ADPR) cyclase, and amplification of the initial IP(3)R-stimulated release of cytosolic Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)) from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) (Fellner SK, Arendshorst WJ. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 288: F785-...

Three chromosomal factors called Spore killer (Sk) have been found in wild populations of Neurospora sitophila and N. intermedia. Sk resembles other examples of meiotic drive such as Segregation Distorter in Drosophila, Pollen killer in wheat, and Gamete eliminator in tomato. In crosses heterozygous for Sk, each ascus contains four viable black ascospores and four inviable, undersize, clear asc...