The effects of heat shock on the synthesis of alpha-amylase and on the membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of barley (Hordeum vulgare) aleurone were studied. Heat shock, imposed by raising the temperature of incubation from 25 degrees C to 40 degrees C for 3 hours, inhibits the accumulation of alpha-amylase and other proteins in the incubation medium of barley aleurone layers treated wi...

Expression of the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) on the surface of thymocytes and mature T cells is dependent on the assembly of receptor subunits into TCRs in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and their successful traversal of the secretory pathway to the plasma membrane. TCR subunits that fail to exit the ER for the Golgi complex are degraded by nonlysosomal processes that have been referred to a...

Forty years ago, Lerner and coworkers (1958) discovered the first nonsteroidal antiestrogen and Jensen (Jensen and Jacobson, 1960) identified a target for drug action, the ER. This knowledge opened the door for the clinical development of tamoxifen which we now know provides a survival advantage in both node-positive and node-negative patients with ER-positive disease (Early Breast Cancer Trial...

Much of the enzymic machinery required for the assembly of cell surface carbohydrates is located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of eukaryotic cells. Structural information on these proteins is limited and the identity of the active polypeptide(s) is generally unknown. This paper describes the synthesis and characteristics of a photoaffinity reagent that can be used to identify and analyse me...

The flavonoid family of phytochemicals, particularly those derived from soy, has received attention regarding their estrogenic activity as well as their effects on human health and disease. In addition to these flavonoids other phytochemicals, including phytostilbene, enterolactone, and lignans, possess endocrine activity. The types and amounts of these compounds in soy and other plants are con...

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase) is located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and responds to rapid degradation which is regulated by mevalonate or sterols. T cell antigen receptor alpha chain (TCR alpha) is also known to be rapidly degraded within the ER. In both cases, the membrane domains of the proteins have a crucial role in their rapid degradation. In or...

Both nerve growth factor (NGF) and estrogen have been shown to stimulate proliferation of various cell types. Human urothelial cells (HUC) express the alpha- and beta-subtypes of the estrogen receptor (ER(alpha) and ER(beta)) as well as tyrosine kinase A (trkA), the high-affinity receptor for NGF. We investigated interactions between estrogen and NGF relative to cell proliferation using primary...

Homozygous, PIZZ alpha(1)-antitrypsin (alpha(1)-AT) deficiency is associated with chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma resulting from the toxic effects of mutant alpha(1)-anti-trypsin Z (alpha(1)-ATZ) protein retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of hepatocytes. However, the exact mechanism(s) by which retention of this aggregated mutant protein leads to cellular injury are s...

Lipid droplets are intracellular lipid-storage organelles that are thought to be derived from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Several pathogens, notably hepatitis C virus, use lipid droplets for replication. Numerous questions remain about how lipid droplets are generated and used by viruses. Here we show that the IFN-induced antiviral protein viperin, which localizes to the cytosolic face of t...

Epidemiologic and experimental studies support the hypothesis that dietary estrogens from plant sources (phytoestrogens) may play a role in the prevention of breast and prostate cancer. The molecular mechanisms for such chemopreventive effect are still unclear. We investigated the possibility that phytoestrogens may bind differentially to estrogen receptor proteins (ER[alpha] and ERss) and affe...