To clarify the taxonomic status of two recently described Borrelia genomic groups, groups VS116 and M19, three group VS116 strains and eight group M19 strains isolated from Ixodes ricinus ticks in Switzerland, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom were characterized. PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the 5S-23S intergenic spacer amplicon, rRNA gene restriction an...

Postmenopausal osteoporosis (POMP) is a public health problem characterized by decreased bone density and increased fracture risk. Over-activated osteoclastogenesis plays a vital role in POMP. Here we developed a novel bioactive compound MASM (M19) based on sophocarpine. Although it showed no significant effects on osteogenesis and adipogenesis for bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM...

Vorapaxar (SCH 530348), a potent oral thrombin protease-activated receptor 1 antagonist, is being developed as an antiplatelet agent for patients with established vascular disease. The objective of this study was to identify the human liver cytochrome P450 (P450) enzyme(s) responsible for the metabolism of SCH 530348. Human liver microsomes metabolized SCH 530348 to M19, an amine metabolite for...

Mammalian transcription factor ATF6 is constitutively synthesized as a type II transmembrane protein embedded in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). It is activated when unfolded proteins are accumulated in the ER under ER stress through a process called regulated intramembrane proteolysis (Rip), in which ATF6 is transported from the ER to the Golgi apparatus where it undergoes sequential cleavage ...

M protein was purified to homogeneity from limited pepsin digests of intact type 19 streptococci (pep M19). The purified pep M19 when emulsified in CFA and injected into rabbits evoked type-specific and crossreactive opsonic antibodies, as well as heart-crossreactive antibodies. The NH2-terminal primary structure of pep M19 was determined and a peptide copying the first 24 amino acids [SM19(1-2...

The C-terminal fragment of Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (C-CPE) modulates the tight junction protein claudin and disrupts the tight junctional barrier. It also can enhance the effectiveness of anticancer agents. However, the detailed mechanisms of the effects of C-CPE remain unclear in both normal and cancerous cells. The C-CPE mutant called C-CPE 194 binds only to claudin-4, but the C-C...

Members of the genus Spiribacter are found worldwide and are abundant in ecosystems possessing intermediate salinities between seawater and saturated salt concentrations. Spiribacter salinus M19-40 is the type species of this genus and its first cultivated representative. In the habitats of S. salinus M19-40, high salinity is a key determinant for growth and we therefore focused on the cellular...

Mitochondrial dysfunction due to nuclear or mitochondrial DNA alterations contributes to multiple diseases such as metabolic myopathies, neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes and cancer. Nevertheless, to date, only half of the estimated 1,500 mitochondrial proteins has been identified, and the function of most of these proteins remains to be determined. Here, we characterize the function of M19...

XBP1 is a transcription factor downstream of IRE1, a transmembrane protein in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) which functions as a sensor and transducer of ER stress. XBP1 mRNA is constitutively expressed at a low level as an intron-containing precursor mRNA (unspliced mRNA), which is subject to IRE1-mediated splicing reaction upon ER stress to produce the active form of XBP1, pXBP1(S). Because ...

nloaded ticular germ cell tumors (TGCT) originate from germ cells. The 129-Ter and M19 (129.MOLF-Chr19 mic) mouse strains have extremely high incidences of TGCTs. We found that the expression levels of coded splicing factor 1 (SF1) can modulate the incidence of TGCTs. We generated mice with inactivated null mice (Sf1−/−) died before birth. Mice with one intact allele of Sf1 (Sf1+/−) were viable...