Polyethylenimine (PEI) is a well-known cationic polymer which has high transfection efficiency due to its buffering effect. However, nondegradability, cytotoxicity, aggregation, and short-circulation time in vivo still need to be overcome for a successful gene delivery. Degradable, hyperbranched poly(ester amine)s (PEAs) based on poloxamer diacrylate and low molecular weight branched PEI, were ...

Degradable polymers as gene and drug carriers are emerging as one of the most promising types of materials in the biomedical and pharmaceutical areas. Herein, we report the synthesis of a series of block co-polyesters (B1-B6) and random co-polyesters (C1-C4) via ring-opening polymerization of tertiary amine-bearing valerolactone and alkylated valerolactone monomers. These polymers can completel...

In rings of rabbit facial vein (RFV), depletion of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ by caffeine abolished the subsequent isometric contraction to 25 mM K+ physiological salt solution (25K-PSS). However, the associated steady-state increase of smooth muscle intracellular free Ca2+concentration ([Ca2+]i), measured using fura PE3 and cuvette photometry, was not altered. Treatment with the specific...

Laporte, Régent, and Ismail Laher. Sarcoplasmic reticulum and endothelium independently regulate venous smooth muscle [Ca]i and contraction. Am. J. Physiol. 277 (Heart Circ. Physiol. 46): H749–H755, 1999.—In rings of rabbit facial vein (RFV), depletion of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca21 by caffeine abolished the subsequent isometric contraction to 25 mM K1 physiological salt solution (25K-PSS)...

The associations between inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) use and pulmonary infections remains controversial. Chlamydia pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae) accounts for asthma exacerbations; however, there are no data regarding ICS effects on C. infections. Thus, we investigated whether fluticasone propionate (FP) or budesonide (BUD) could affect infection in vitro vivo, focusing the possible mechanisms tha...

A series of polyethylenimines-coated poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide)/lipid nanoparticles (PPLs) were fabricated for delivering paclitaxel via a simple nano-precipitation method. Four kinds of polyethylenimines (PEIs) (800 Da-, 2000 Da- and 25 kDa-branched PEIs, and 25 kDa-linear PEI) were selected as a polymeric coating for the nanoparticles. The PPLs were evaluated for their cytotoxic effects t...

The Epstein-Barr virus BamHI F promoter (Fp) was previously identified as the putative EBNA 1 gene promoter in group 1 Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cell lines. Fp has also been shown to be activated in Epstein-Barr virus-positive B-cell lines following induction of the viral productive cycle (A. L. Lear, M. Rowe, M. G. Kurilla, S. Lee, S. Henderson, E. Kieff, and A. B. Rickinson, J. Virol. 66:7461-7...

The ZEBRA protein encoded by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome activates a switch from the latent to the lytic gene expression programme of the virus. ZEBRA, a member of the basic leucine zipper family of DNA-binding proteins, is a transcriptional activator capable of inducing expression from several virus lytic cycle promoters by binding to activator protein 1 (AP-1)-like sites. The Epstein-...

Efficient target gene delivery into eukaryotic cells is important for biotechnological research and gene therapy. Gene delivery based on proteins, including histones, has recently emerged as a powerful non-viral DNA transfer technique. Here, we investigated the potential use of a recombinant mussel adhesive protein, hybrid fp-151, as a gene delivery material, in view of its similar basic amino ...

Even though feather pecking (FP) in laying hens has been extensively studied, a good solution to prevent chickens from this behavior under commercial circumstances has not been found. Selection against FP behavior is possible, but for a more effective selection across different populations, it is necessary to characterize the genetic mechanism associated with this behavior. In this study, we us...