Bufalin is the primary component of the traditional Chinese herb "Chan Su". Evidence suggests that this compound possesses potent anti-tumor activities, although the exact molecular mechanism(s) is unknown. Our previous study showed that bufalin inhibited growth of human osteosarcoma cell lines U2OS and U2OS/MTX300 in culture. Therefore, this study aims to further clarify the in vitro and in vi...

The influence of spinal cord injury (SCI) on protein expression in the rat urinary bladder was assessed by proteomic analysis at different time intervals post-injury. After contusion SCI between T9 and T10, bladder tissues were processed by 2-DE and MALDI-TOF/MS at 6 hr to 28 days after SCI to identify proteins involved in the healing process of SCI-induced neurogenic bladder. Approximately 1,0...

Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) is an ATP-independent molecular chaperone and confers survival advantages and resistance to cancer cells under stress conditions. The effects and molecular mechanisms of Hsp27 in HCC invasion and metastasis are still unclear. In this study, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissue array (n = 167) was used to investigate the expression and prognostic relevance of Hsp27...

Ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) occurs in almost every liver surgery and is associated with the reduction of the liver blood flow. Ischemia impairs liver function and can even cause liver failure following surgery. The present study aimed to identify a new molecular target allowing the reduction of IRI and explore the related cellular mechanism. Adenovirus (~2.5x10(12) viral particles) bearin...

Disruption of cell contact sites in renal epithelial cells contributes to organ dysfunction after ischemia. We hypothesized that heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27), a known cytoprotectant protein, preserves cell architecture and cell contact site function during ischemic stress. To test this hypothesis, renal epithelial cells were subjected to transient ATP depletion, an in vitro model of ischemia-r...

The hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) also known as scatter factor activates cancer cell invasion and metastasis. We show that in ovarian cancer cells HGF induced the phosphorylation of the small heat shock protein of 27 kDa (HSP27) by activating the p38MAPK. HSP27 is increased in many cancers at advanced stage including ovarian cancer and associated with cancer resistance to therapy and poor pati...

Exposure of cells to a variety of stresses such as heat, radiation and xenobiotics leads to increased expression of heat-shock proteins (HSPs). HSPs protect cells against irreversible protein damage and are involved in adaptive responses to stress stimuli. Some HSPs are overexpressed in neoplasias, possibly contributing to the increased drug tolerance often observed in such lesions. We have stu...

Heat stress alters epithelial barrier function, and heat stress preconditioning protects epithelial function from injury. Hsp27 is a small stress protein that has previously been shown to modulate actin assembly. Thus, by regulating actin filaments associated with cell junctions, hsp27 could alter epithelial function. To begin to address this hypothesis, the regulation and distribution of a hum...

BACKGROUND Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is overexpressed in astrocytomas (World Health Organization grades II-IV). We previously demonstrated that SPARC promotes glioma migration and invasion-in part, by activating the P38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-heat shock protein (HSP)27 signaling pathway. The commonly lost tumor suppressor phosphatase and tensin homolo...