Primary cultures of guinea pig gastric mucosal cells express NADPH oxidase 1 (Nox1), a homolog of gp91(phox), and produce superoxide anion (O2-) at a rate of approximately 100 nmol.mg protein(-1).h(-1) in response to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from virulent type I strains. The upregulated O2- production also enhances H. pylori LPS-stimulated tumor necrosis factor-a...

NADPH oxidase activation involves the assembly of membrane-localized cytochrome b559 with the cytosolic components p47phox, p67phox, and the small GTPase Rac. Assembly is mimicked by a cell-free system consisting of membranes and cytosolic components, activated by an anionic amphiphile. We reported that a chimeric construct, consisting of residues 1-212 of p67phox and full-length Rac1, activate...

The Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1) belongs to the Rashomologous (Rho) family of small GTPases, which transduce signals from the outside to the inside of a cell. Rac1 becomes activated upon ligand binding of a variety of receptors, including receptor tyrosine kinases and heterotrimeric G-protein-coupled receptors. After GTP loading by guanine exchange factors (GEFs), GTP-bound...

Skeletal muscle glucose uptake can be regulated in response to different stimuli, with insulin and contraction being central. While the processes underlying insulin-induced glucose uptake have been extensively characterized, the processes underlying contraction-induced glucose uptake remain elusive. In this issue of Diabetes, Sylow et al. (1) provide another piece to this puzzle. They report th...

Transient expression of constitutively active Rac1 derivatives, (G12V) or (Q61L), was sufficient to induce phagocyte NADPH oxidase activity in a COS-7 cell model in which human cDNAs for essential oxidase components, gp91(phox), p22(phox), p47(phox), and p67(phox), were expressed as stable transgenes. Expression of constitutively active Rac1 in "COS(phox)" cells induced translocation of p47(pho...

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is a single-stranded DNA parvovirus that causes no currently known pathology in humans. Despite the fact that this virus is of increasing interest to molecular medicine as a vector for gene delivery, relatively little is known about the cellular mechanisms controlling infection. In this study, we have examined endocytic and intracellular trafficking of AAV-2 using f...

OBJECTIVE Activation of collagen receptors expressed by smooth muscle cells induces matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression. The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) have been shown to interfere with integrin signaling, but their effects on collagen receptor-mediated MMP expression have not been investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS In the present study, we show ...

Phospholipase Cγ2 (PLCγ2) plays a pivotal role in mediation of inflammatory reaction to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as well as serves as a key target in modulatory influence of the hormone ghrelin. Here we explore the involvement of Rac1 and its activator, guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), Dock180, in mediation of PLCγ2 activation in salivary gland acinar cells in response to P. ...

Cytoplasmic FMRP interacting protein 1 (CYFIP1), also known as specifically RAC1 activated protein 1 (Sra1), plays a dual role: together with fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) and eIF4E it forms a complex that inhibits mRNA translation, while together with WAVE1, NCKAP1, ABI2, and HSPC300 it forms the WAVE regulatory complex (WRC) that upon RAC1 activation initiates actin polymerizati...

Increased levels of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in injured lungs may reflect a compensatory response to diminish acute lung injury (ALI). HGF-induced activation of Rac1 GTPase stimulates endothelial barrier protective mechanisms. This study tested the involvement of Rac-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor Asef in HGF-induced endothelial cell (EC) cytoskeletal dynamics and barrier pro...