Efficient T cell priming by GM-CSF and CD40 ligand double-transduced C26 murine colon carcinoma is not sufficient to cure metastases in a therapeutic setting. To determine whether a cellular vaccine that interacts directly with both APC and T cells in vivo might be superior, we generated C26 carcinoma cells transduced with the T cell costimulatory molecule OX40 ligand (OX40L) either alone (C26/...

To examine the effects of aliskiren, a small-molecule renin inhibitor, on cancer cachexia and to explore the underlying mechanisms. A cancer cachexia model was established by subcutaneously injecting C26 mouse colon carcinoma cells into isogenic BALB/c mice. Aliskiren was administered intragastrically [10 mg/kg body weight (BW)] on day 5 (as a preventive strategy, AP group) or on day 12 (as a t...

Runx2 is essential for osteoblast differentiation and gene expression of bone matrix proteins, however, little is known about the mechanism regulating its activity. In this study, the role of Runx2 on gene expression of transcription factors, AJ18, Msx2, and Dlx5, was examined in vitro. It is known that AJ18 and Msx2 act as repressors to inhibit activity of Runx2, whereas Dlx5 promotes its acti...

Background: Cancer cachexia is a debilitating paraneoplastic syndrome featuring unintended weight loss and skeletal muscle atrophy. Evidence suggests that bone health may also be compromised, further limiting mobility and quality of life. Aerobic and resistance training was recently reported to differentially affect skeletal muscle adaptations in cancer cachectic mice. The purpose of this inves...

Profiles of saturated very-long-chain (> C22) fatty acids were studied in plasma, fibroblasts, erythrocytes, platelets, and leukocytes of patients affected by peroxisomal disorders such as Zellweger syndrome, X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD), and classic rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata (RCDP) and in controls. In Zellweger patients, the concentration of hexacosanoic acid (C26:0) and th...

Morphological analysis of a conditional yeast mutant in acetyl-CoA carboxylase acc1ts/mtr7, the rate-limiting enzyme of fatty acid synthesis, suggested that the synthesis of C26 VLCFAs (very-long-chain fatty acids) is important for maintaining the structure and function of the nuclear membrane. To characterize this C26-dependent pathway in more detail, we have now examined cells that are blocke...

The in vitro effect of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) on osteogenic and myogenic differentiation was examined in two clonal cell lines of rat osteoblast-like cells at different differentiation stages, ROB-C26 (C26) and ROB-C20 (C20). The C26 is a potential osteoblast precursor cell line that is also capable of differentiating into muscle cells and adipocytes; the C20 i...

IFN-gamma knockout mice (GKO) rejected C26 colon carcinoma cells transduced to secrete interleukin(IL)-12 but do not reject similarly transduced TSA mammary adenocarcinoma (C26/12 and TSA/12 cells, respectively). To determine whether such difference could be because of a different tumor response to IFN-gamma, we injected BALB/c mice with TSA, C26, and their IL-12-transduced counterparts rendere...

X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is caused by mutations in the ABCD1 gene encoding the peroxisomal ABC transporter adrenoleukodystrophy protein (ALDP). X-ALD is characterized by the accumulation of very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFA; > or =C24) in plasma and tissues. In this manuscript we provide insight into the pathway underlying the elevated levels of C26:0 in X-ALD. ALDP transports VLC...