There is still relatively limited information about mechanisms of gene expression in enterocytes and mechanisms by which gene expression is regulated during enterocyte differentiation. Using the human intestinal epithelial cell line Caco-2, which spontaneously differentiates from a cryptlike to a villouslike enterocyte, we have previously shown that there is a marked increase in transcription o...

Lectins that target N-glycans on the surface of HIV-1 envelope (Env) glycoprotein have the potential for use as antiviral agents. Although progress has been made in deciphering the molecular details of lectin and Env glycan interaction, further studies are needed to better understand Env glycan heterogeneity among HIV-1 isolates and its influence on virus-neutralization sensitivity to lectins. ...

Alpha 1-adrenergic receptors (α1-ARs) control the activity of dorsal raphe nucleus (DRn) serotonin (5-HT) neurons and play crucial role in the regulation of arousal and stress homoeostasis. However, the precise role of these receptors in regulating glutamate synapses of rat DRn 5-HT neurons and whether chronic stress exposure alters such regulation remain unknown. In the present study, we exami...

The sensitive period of ocular dominance (OD) plasticity in the mouse visual cortex occurs around week 4-5 of development. When one eye is closed for a prolonged time during this period, the cortex will become more responsive to the open eye. This shift in ocular dominance is less pronounced before and after the sensitive period. Timing of the sensitive period is regulated by the maturation of ...

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) plays an important role in nutrients transport. The present study was to investigate the effects of EGF on glucose absorption a cellular injury model (IPEC-J2 cells, vitro study) and animal (weaned piglets, vivo established by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In study: porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) were divided into four treatments: control group (Control)...

α1-Antitrypsin is primarily synthesised in the liver, circulates to the lung and protects pulmonary tissues from proteolytic damage. The Z mutant (Glu342Lys) undergoes inactivating conformational change and polymerises. Polymers are retained within the hepatocyte endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in homozygous (PiZZ) individuals, predisposing the individuals to hepatic cirrhosis and emphysema. Latency...

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae RNase III enzyme Rnt1p preferentially binds to double-stranded RNA hairpin substrates with a conserved (A/u)GNN tetraloop fold, via shape-specific interactions by its double-stranded RNA-binding domain (dsRBD) helix α1 to the tetraloop minor groove. To investigate whether conformational flexibility in the dsRBD regulates the binding specificity, we determined the ba...

furin is a ca 2+ -dependent serine protease which cleaves proprotein substrates at the arg-xaa-(lys/arg)-arg    site to generate biologically active proteins. furin’s critical role in many cellular events associated with health disorders such as hiv, sars, anthrax, and influenza as well as cancer has made inhibitors of this enzyme as therapeutic targets. to this date, the most potent inhibitor ...

The majority of fast synaptic inhibition in the brain is mediated by benzodiazepine-sensitive α1-subunit-containing GABA type A receptors (GABA(A)Rs); however, our knowledge of the mechanisms neurons use to regulate their synaptic accumulation is rudimentary. Using immunoprecipitation, we demonstrate that GABA(A)Rs and gephyrin are intimately associated at inhibitory synapses in cultured rat ne...

Fucα1-6 oligosaccharide has a variety of biological functions and serves as a biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma because of the elevated presence of fucosylated α-fetoprotein (AFP) in this type of cancer. In this study we purified a novel Fucα1-6-specific lectin from the mushroom Pholiota squarrosa by ion-exchange chromatography and affinity chromatography on thyroglobulin-agarose. The puri...