In this study we describe a novel mutation of the thyroid peroxidase (TPO) gene that resulted in a total iodide organification defect. TPO activity and thyroxine formation in thyroglobulin in the thyroid gland of the patient were below the limits of detection. However, TPO mRNA was detectable at a similar size and concentration as compared with normal thyroid tissues when measured by Northern b...

Human macrophages are hosts for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, which killed approximately 1.87 million people in 1997. Human alveolar macrophages do not express alpha- or beta-defensins, broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptides which are expressed in macrophages from other species more resistant to infection with M. tuberculosis. It has been previously reported th...

Esophageal cancer is the sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and majority these cancers, arises from squamous cells. Despite multiple therapeutic strategies, five year survival rate esophageal cell carcinoma (ESCC) ranges between 15%-20%. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) one key events in ESCC, which associated with recurrence, metastasis low rate. Cancer stem cells (...

The relatively recent discovery of microRNAs has added a completely new dimension to the study of the regulation of tumor cells, but how they control cell behavior remains largely elusive. HepG2 cells were assigned to the miR-1301 group and the control group. RT-PCR, Western blotting, wound healing, the Transwell chamber migration and MTT assays, ...

The synthesis, computer modeling, and biological activity of an octawalled molecular umbrella short interfacing RNA (siRNA) conjugate is described. This molecular umbrella-siRNA conjugate exhibited mRNA knockdown activity in vitro in the absence of a transfection reagent. Evaluation of this molecular umbrella conjugate in vivo, using the rat eye via intravitreal injection, resulted in sequence ...

Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (DEB) is a group of rare inherited genodermatoses causing skin and mucosal blistering wide range local systemic severe complications. DEB can be recessively (RDEB) or dominantly (DDEB) inherited, both forms being due to mutations in COL7A1 encoding type VII collagen (C7), the component anchoring fibrils (AFs) which are essential for dermal-epidermal adhesion. co...

Although mRNA has several advantages over plasmid DNA when delivered into cells for gene expression, mRNA transfection is a very rare occurrence in gene delivery. This is mainly because of the labile nature of RNA, resulting in a low expression level of the desired protein. In this study, self-assembled mRNA nanoparticles (mRNA-NPs) packed with multiple repeats of mRNA were synthesized to achie...

Chemical modification of nucleosides in mRNA is an important technology to regulate the immunogenicity of mRNA. In this study, various previously reported mRNA formulations were evaluated by analyzing in vitro protein expression and immunogenicity in multiple cell lines. For the macrophage-derived cell line, RAW 264.7, modified mRNA tended to have reduced immunogenicity and increased protein ex...