Reptilian reovirus is one of a limited number of nonenveloped viruses that are capable of inducing cell-cell fusion. A small, hydrophobic, basic, 125-amino-acid fusion protein encoded by the first open reading frame of a bicistronic viral mRNA is responsible for this fusion activity. Sequence comparisons to previously characterized reovirus fusion proteins indicated that p14 represents a new me...

The cell-cycle regulatory gene INK4A-ARF (CDKN2A) has two alternative transcripts that produce entirely different proteins, namely p14 and p16, which have complementary functions as regulators of p53 and pRB tumor suppressor pathways, respectively. The unusual organization of INK4A-ARF has long led to speculation of a need for coordinated regulation of p14 and p16.We now show that p14 (ARF) reg...

Photoacoustic imaging, which enables high-resolution imaging in deep tissues, has lately attracted considerable attention. For tumor imaging, photoacoustic probes have been proposed to enhance the photoacoustic effect to improve detection sensitivity. Here, we evaluated the feasibility of using a biocompatible hydrophilic polymer, polyoxazoline, conjugated with indocyanine green (ICG) as a tumo...

Small cell carcinomas (SmCCs) of the uterine cervix are rare tumors. The knowledge regarding protein expression of several checkpoint candidates of cell cycle regulation is limited. Surgically treated SmCCs were selected from our files for immunohistochemical staining (neuroendocrine markers, p53, p16, p14, and cyclin D1). Polymerase chain reaction analysis, using general primers, was performed...

The methylation status of p15(INK4b) (MTS2), p16(INK4a) (MTS1) and p14(ARF) (p16beta) was analyzed in 56 lymphomas by restriction-enzyme related polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (REP), methylation-specific PCR (MSP), and bisulfite genomic sequencing (BGS). Methylation of the p15 and p16 genes was detected, respectively, in 64% and 32% of the B-cell lymphomas, in 44% and 22% of the T-cell lymphom...

The reovirus fusion-associated small transmembrane (FAST) proteins are virus-encoded membrane fusion proteins that function as dedicated cell-cell fusogens. The topology of these small, single-pass membrane proteins orients the majority of the protein on the distal side of the membrane (i.e., inside the cell). We now show that ectopic expression of the endodomains of the p10, p14, and p15 FAST ...

Purpose: To evaluate angiogenesis and reepithelization of colonic anastomoses in rats. Methods: 82 Wistar rats, divided into: young normoglycemic, old normoglycemic and hyperglycemic. Diabetes was induced with streptozotocin. Glycemia was assessed before induction, at 24 hours and after 90 days, when a colotomy and an anastomosis were performed, assessed at days 3, 7, and 14. Samples were prepa...

The GABAergic synapse undergoes structural and functional maturation during early brain development. Maternal stress alters GABAergic synapses in the pup's brain that are associated with the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders in adults; however, the mechanism for this is still unclear. In this study, we examined the effects of maternal restraint stress on the development of Cation-Ch...

Redirecting Ag specificity by transfer of TCR genes into PBLs is an attractive method to generate large numbers of cytotoxic T cells for immunotherapy of cancer and viral diseases. However, transferred TCR chains can pair with endogenous TCR chains, resulting in the formation of mispaired TCR dimers and decreased or unspecific reactivity. TCR gene transfer into hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) i...

We have previously demonstrated that Phoneutria nigriventer venom (PNV) causes blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown, swelling of astrocytes end-feet and fluid permeation into brain interstitium in rats. Caveolae and water channels respond to BBB alterations by co-participation in shear stress response and edema formation/resolution. Herein, we showed post-natal developmental-related changes of t...