ABSTRACT Background: Tumor cells exhibit an increased requirement for iron to support their rapid proliferation. Deferoxamine (DFO), an iron chelator, has been reported to have anti-proliferative effects on cancer cells through induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. X-rays also induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. However, limited information is available regarding the effect of iron...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) chiefly characterizes a progressively neurodegenerative disorder of the brain, and eventually leads to irreversible loss of intellectual abilities. The β-amyloid (Aβ)-induced neurodegeneration is believed to be the main pathological mechanism of AD, and Aβ production inhibition or its clearance promotion is one of the promising therapeutic strategies for anti-AD researc...

Rab23 has been proven to play a role in membrane trafficking and protein transport in eukaryotic cells. Rab23 is also a negative regulator of the Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway in an indirect way. The nonsense mutation and loss of protein of Rab23 has been associated with neural tube defect in mice and aberrant expression in various diseases in human such as neural system, breast, visce...

The target of rapamycin (TOR) kinase, a master regulator that is evolutionarily conserved among yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), plants, animals, and humans, integrates nutrient and energy signaling to promote cell proliferation and growth. Recent breakthroughs made possible by integrating chemical, genetic, and genomic analyses have greatly increased our understanding of the molecular functi...

Macroautophagy (hereafter called autophagy) is a highly conserved physiological process that degrades over-abundant or damaged organelles, large protein aggregates and invading pathogens via the lysosomal system (the vacuole in plants yeast). Autophagy generally induced by stress, such as oxygen-, energy- amino acid-deprivation, irradiation, drugs, etc. In addition to non-selective bulk degrada...

MDM2-p53 interaction and downstream signaling affect cellular response to DNA damage. AMG 232 is a potent small molecule inhibitor that blocks the interaction of MDM2 and p53. We examined the capacity of AMG 232 to augment radiation response across a spectrum of human tumor cell lines and xenografts. AMG 232 effectively inhibited proliferation and enhanced radiosensitivity via inhibition of dam...

Multiple mechanisms appear to contribute to neuronal stress and injury underlying HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND), which occur despite the successful introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). Evidence is accumulating that components of cART can itself be neurotoxic upon long-term exposure. In addition, abuse of psychostimulants, such as methamphetamine (METH), se...

The target of rapamycin (TOR) kinase, a master regulator that is evolutionarily conserved among yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), plants, animals, and humans, integrates nutrient and energy signaling to promote cell proliferation and growth. Recent breakthroughs made possible by integrating chemical, genetic, and genomic analyses have greatly increased our understanding of the molecular functi...