Colonic epithelial stem cells are believed to be located at the crypt base where they have previously been shown to express musashi-1. The colonic stem cell niche, which includes extracellular matrix and myofibroblasts (together with other cell types), is likely to be important in maintaining the function of the progenitor cells. The aims of our studies were to characterize stem cells in isolat...

Aberrant patterns of pre-mRNA processing are typical of human malignancies, yet the mechanisms responsible for these changes remain undefined. We have recently shown overexpression of a core splice regulatory protein, serinearginine protein kinase 1 (SRPK1), in dysplastic and neoplastic pancreatic ductular cells. In the present study, we have established that SRPK1 levels are similarly up-regul...

The aim of the present review is to unravel the mechanisms of action of the soluble form of the neurotensin (NT) receptor-3 (NTSR3), also called Sortilin, in numerous physiopathological processes including cancer development, cardiovascular diseases and depression. Sortilin/NTSR3 is a transmembrane protein thought to exert multiple functions both intracellularly and at the level of the plasma m...

Clostridium difficile is the most common cause of antibiotic-associated nosocomial infection in the United States. C. difficile secretes two homologous toxins, TcdA and TcdB, which are responsible for the symptoms of C. difficile associated disease. The mechanism of toxin action includes an autoprocessing event where a cysteine protease domain (CPD) releases a glucosyltransferase domain (GTD) i...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) can function as tumor-suppressor or oncogenic genes. Upregulation of miRNA-141 has been frequently observed in colorectal cancer (CRC) samples. The experimentally observed targets of miR-141 include the tumor-suppressor gene mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MAP2K4). The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of miR-141 in the proliferation of c...

Aberrant patterns of pre-mRNA processing are typical of human malignancies, yet the mechanisms responsible for these changes remain undefined. We have recently shown overexpression of a core splice regulatory protein, serine-arginine protein kinase 1 (SRPK1), in dysplastic and neoplastic pancreatic ductular cells. In the present study, we have established that SRPK1 levels are similarly up-regu...

During intestinal inflammation, a variety of signaling events are activated to perform several cell functions. Although the distinct roles of these pathways have been elucidated, the effects of their crosstalk activities remain to be clarified. We evaluated the crosstalk between two evolutionary conserved cell signaling systems, toll-like-receptor (TLR) 5 and Notch1, in intestinal epithelial ce...

BACKGROUND Due to the extremely rare incidence, data about colonic GISTs are limited. Therefore, aim of the present study was to explore clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of colonic GISTs. PATIENTS AND METHODS Colonic GISTs cases were obtained from our center and from case report and clinical studies extracted from MEDLINE. Clinicopathological features and survivals were analy...

In human, digestive disorders are often associated with visceral pain. In these pathologies, visceral pain threshold is decreased indicating a visceral hypersensitivity. Pregabalin [CI-1008; S-(+)-3-isobutylgaba] presents antihyperalgesic actions in inflammatory somatic pain models. This study was designed to evaluate 1) the effect of injection of TNBS into the colon on visceral pain threshold,...

Animal studies demonstrate that nizatidine, an H2-receptor inhibitor, may enhance colonic activity independent of its effect on acid secretion. The effect of nizatidine on human colonic motility is unknown. We evaluated the potential prokinetic property of nizatidine in 12 healthy subjects (10 men and 2 women, age 21-46 years). Each subject received either nizatidine (600 mg), famotidine (80 mg...