NeP1 binds to the F1 silencer element of the chicken lysozyme gene and, in the presence of TR, v-ERBA or RAR, synergistically represses transcriptional activity. This repression involves a silencing mechanism acting independently of the relative promoter position. Here we show that NeP1 alone can induce a significant directed bend on DNA. The chicken homologue of human NeP1, CTCF, shows identic...

The hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy caused by peripartum asphyxia is a serious disease in newborn infants, and effective therapies need to be developed to reduce injury-related disorders. We evaluated the effects of NEP1-40 and fasudil on Nogo-A expression in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) rats. Seven-day-old Wistar rats were randomly divided into control, HIBD, NEP1-40, an...

Nep1 is an extracellular fungal protein that causes necrosis when applied to many dicotyledonous plants, including invasive weed species. Using transmission electron microscopy, it was determined that application of Nep1 (1.0 micro g mL(-)(1), 0.1% [v/v] Silwet-L77) to Arabidopsis and two invasive weed species, spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa) and dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), caused a...

Members of the M13 class of metalloproteases have been implicated in diseases and in reproductive fitness. Nevertheless, their physiological role remains poorly understood. To obtain a tractable model with which to analyze this protein family's function, we characterized the gene family in Drosophila melanogaster and focused on reproductive phenotypes. The D. melanogaster genome contains 24 M13...

BACKGROUND The ability of negative expiratory pressure (NEP) technique to differentiate between awake snorers with and without obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea (OSAH) was investigated. METHODS Forty-eight subjects with sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and 7 healthy subjects, as non-snorer controls, underwent the NEP application of -5 and -7 cmH2O in the seated and supine position during wakef...

Elicitors/pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) trigger the plant immune system, leading to rapid programmed cell death (hypersensitive response, HR) and stomatal closure. Previous reports have shown that the vacuolar processing enzyme (VPE), a cysteine proteinase responsible for the maturation of vacuolar proteins, has caspase-1-like activity and mediates TMV- and mycotoxin-induced ce...

Spatiotemporal changes in gene expression underlie many evolutionary novelties in nature. However, the evolutionary origins of novel expression patterns, and the transcriptional control elements ("enhancers") that govern them, remain unclear. Here, we sought to explore the molecular genetic mechanisms by which new enhancers arise. We undertook a survey of closely related Drosophila species to i...

Intrastriatal transplantation of fetal human ventral mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons is an experimental therapy for patients suffering from Parkinson's disease. The success of this approach depends on several host brain parameters including neurotrophic factors and growth inhibitors that guide survival and integration of transplanted neurons. While the potential of neurotrophic factors has b...

BACKGROUND Nogo-A is a myelin-associated neurite outgrowth inhibitory protein that limits elongation of central nerve fibers, neuronal regeneration and plasticity. We investigated the effect of delivering an inhibitory peptide that neutralizes Nogo-A on neuronal recovery following mild cortical contusion injury. METHODS 41 rats were allocated into the control and NEP1-40 treatment groups. PBS...

Introduction: Recent studies have demonstrated functional and histological recovery of injured spinal cord in animal models. However, there are non-permissive milieu surrounding the injured spinal cord due to the inhibitory factors, especially chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) and Nogo. CSPG is originally the extracellular matrix contained within a glia scar. Nogo regulates the abnormal a...