CpG island promoters often lack canonical core promoter elements such as the TATA box, and have dispersed transcription initiation sites. Despite the prevalence of CpG islands associated with mammalian genes, the mechanism of transcription initiation from CpG island promoters remains to be clarified. Here we investigate the mechanism of transcription initiation of the CpG island-associated gene...

The X gene of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the major factors in HBV-induced hepatocarcinogenesis and is essential for the establishment of productive HBV replication in vivo. Recent studies have shown that the X gene product targets mitochondria and induces calcium flux, thereby activating Ca(+)-dependent signal transduction pathways. However, regulatory mechanisms of X gene expression hav...

OBJECTIVE Activation of nuclear factor kappaB by diverse bacteria regulates the secretion of chemokines and cytokines. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)-infected osteoblasts can significantly increase the secretion of interleukin-6 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. The aim of this study was to investigate whether S. aureus can activate nuclear factor kappaB in human osteoblasts, and wheth...

Background: Breast cancer is known as the most widely recognized dangerous tumors; therefore, the most common reason for mortality among all instances of harmful neoplastic illness in females. This is because the lack of specific signs and symptoms at the early stage and at the aggressive nature. Currently, breast cancer treatment such as chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy has not been effe...

Hood, David A. Invited Review: Contractile activity-induced mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle. J Appl Physiol 90: 1137–1157, 2001.—Chronic contractile activity produces mitochondrial biogenesis in muscle. This adaptation results in a significant shift in adenine nucleotide metabolism, with attendant improvements in fatigue resistance. The vast majority of mitochondrial proteins are de...

Surfactant B (SP-B) is a 79-amino acid peptide critical to postnatal respiratory adaptation. Expression of SP-B by respiratory epithelial cells is regulated by developmental and hormonal influences at the level of gene transcription. Previous studies supported the role of retinoic acids (RA) and their receptors (RARs) in SP-B gene transcription. In the present study, RARalpha was detected in mo...