In the present study, we designed and conducted a series of assays to determine the expression of voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) neonatal isoform Nav1.5 (nNav1.5) in human brain astrocytoma and its effect on the proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of astrocytoma U251 cells. The results showed that nNav1.5 mRNA and protein were expressed in both human brain astrocytoma and norm...

The synthesis of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) envelope glycoproteins and the production of infectious HCMV in human astrocytoma and skin fibroblast (SF) cells were analysed. HCMV envelope glycoproteins synthesized in astrocytoma cells had lower Mrs than the same glycoproteins synthesized in SF cells regardless of the strain of HCMV used, showing that the differences observed were due to differe...

BACKGROUND The prognosis of human astrocytoma is poor, and the molecular alterations underlying its pathogenesis still needed to be elucidated. Nucleolar and spindle associated protein 1 (NUSAP1) was observed in several types of cancers, but its role in astrocytoma remained unknown. METHODS The expression of NUSAP1 in astrocytoma cell lines and tissues were measured with western blotting and ...

microRNAs (miRNAs) play tumor-promoting roles in a variety of tumors. This study investigated the expression of miRNA-211 (miR-221) in human astrocytoma, and its effect on proliferation and apoptosis of human astrocytoma cells in vitro. miR-221 expression was detected in 10 astrocytoma tissues and 4 adjacent tissues by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). miR-221 expression in situ was signifi...

Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is a M(r) 50,000 intracytoplasmic filamentous protein that constitutes a portion of, and is specific for the cytoskeleton of the astrocyte. GFAP appears to stabilize the astrocyte's cytoskeleton, and helps maintain normal astrocyte cell shape through complex interactions between it and the nuclear and plasma membranes. A critical observation from histopath...

Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is a A/, 50,000 intracytoplasmic filamentous protein that constitutes a portion of, and is spécifiefor the cytoskeleton of the astrocyte. GFAP appears to stabilize the astrocyte's cytoskeleton, and helps maintain normal astrocyte cell shape through complex interactions between it and the nuclear and plasma membranes. A critical observation from histopatho...

Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is a A/, 50,000 intracytoplasmic filamentous protein that constitutes a portion of, and is spécifiefor the cytoskeleton of the astrocyte. GFAP appears to stabilize the astrocyte's cytoskeleton, and helps maintain normal astrocyte cell shape through complex interactions between it and the nuclear and plasma membranes. A critical observation from histopatho...

PURPOSE Malignant astrocytomas are among the commonest primary brain tumors and they have a grave prognosis, and so there is an urgent need to develop effective treatment. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms that are responsible for the anti-tumor effect of ginsenosides on human astrocytoma cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS We tested 13 different ginsenosides for their anti-tum...

Sulforhodamine 101 (SR101) is a useful tool for immediate staining of astrocytes. We hypothesized that if the selectivity of SR101was maintained in astrocytoma cells, it could prove useful for glioma research. Cultured astrocytoma cells and acute slices from orthotopic human glioma (n=9) and lymphoma (n=6) xenografts were incubated with SR101 and imaged with confocal microscopy. A subset of sli...

Originally thought of as a stomach-derived endocrine peptide acting via its receptors in the central nervous system to stimulate food intake and growth hormone expression, ghrelin and its receptor (growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R)) are widely expressed in a number of organ systems, including cancer cells. However, the direct functional role of ghrelin and its receptor in tumors of c...