AtT-20 cells, which make and release beta-endorphin, or AtT-20/hENK cells, an AtT-20 cell line transfected with the human proenkephalin gene and secreting enkephalin as well as presumably beta-endorphin, were implanted in mouse spinal subarachnoid space. Cell implants did not affect the basal response to thermal nociceptive stimuli. Administration of isoproterenol, believed to stimulate secreti...

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta is known as an antiproliferative factor in the majority of mammalian cells, including stem germ cells. Lack of TGF-beta-induced growth inhibition has been associated with disruptions of TGF-beta receptors and SMADs. In the present study, we performed a mutational analysis of the TGF-beta signaling system, including TGF-beta receptor type I and type II and S...

17 beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17 beta-HSD) is an enzyme crucial to the regulation of intracellular levels of biologically active steroid hormones in a variety of tissues. Here, we report the isolation, structure, and characterization of a cDNA encoding the human 17 beta-HSD type 2. A 1.4-kilobase cDNA was identified, and DNA sequence analysis indicated that 17 beta-HSD type 2 was a prot...

The transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) is a vital regulator of placental development and functions. TGF-beta exerts several modulatory effects on trophoblast cells, such as inhibition of proliferation and invasiveness, and stimulation of differentiation by inducing multinucleated cell formation. In this study, we determine the expression patterns of TGF-beta signaling molecules in norma...

beta-catenin is the major effector of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway. Mutations in components of the pathway that stabilize beta-catenin result in augmented gene transcription and play a major role in many human cancers. We employed microarrays to identify transcriptional targets of deregulated beta-catenin in a human epithelial cell line (293) engineered to produce mutant beta-catenin and...

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-containing Escherichia coli isolates were detected in 32 of 119 fecal samples (26.9%) from birds of prey at Serra da Estrela, and these isolates contained the following beta-lactamases: CTX-M-1 (n = 13), CTX-M-1 plus TEM-1 (n = 14), CTX-M-1 plus TEM-20 (n = 1), SHV-5 (n = 1), SHV-5 plus TEM-1 (n = 2), and TEM-20 (n = 1).

Fatty acid-free albumin has been the standard carrier for intravenous infusion of fatty acids to study in vivo lipid metabolism. However, subjects can have adverse reactions to infusion of albumin. We sought an alternative to albumin as a carrier for intravenous infusion of fatty acids, using the pig as a model. Cyclodextrins are naturally occurring water-soluble molecules that can serve as car...

We have used two different cultured cell lines--S49 lymphoma cells and BC3H-1 muscle cells--to examine the regulation of beta-adrenergic receptors by receptor antagonists. Rather than an increase ("up-regulation") of receptor number that such antagonists often produce, we found that certain beta-blockers elicit a decrease ("down-regulation") of beta-adrenergic receptors. Alprenolol and proprano...

Microinstabilities play important roles in both entropy generation and particle acceleration collisionless shocks. Recent studies have suggested that the transition zone of quasi-perpendicular ($Q_{\perp}$) shocks high-beta ($\beta=P_{\rm gas}/P_{\rm B}$) intracluster medium (ICM), ion temperature anisotropy due to reflected-gyrating ions could trigger Alfv\'en cyclotron (AIC) instability ion-m...

The neurotoxic effects of amyloid-beta(1-42) and amyloid-beta(25-35) (A beta) on cholinergic and acetylcholinesterase-positive neurons were investigated in primary cultures derived from embryonic 18-day-old rat basal forebrain. After various time intervals, the cultures were treated with 1, 5, 10 or 20 microM A beta for different time periods. The cholinergic neurons and their axon terminals we...