Open Access
ARTICLE
CUIXIA CHEN1*, LINGLING CUI2, XIN SHANG2, XIANLU ZENG2
BIOCELL, Vol.34, No.2, pp. 57-64, 2010, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2010.34.057
Abstract L-selectin is a member of the selectin family that play an important role both in mediating the initial capture and subsequent rolling of leukocytes along the endothelial cells. Furthermore, L-selectin can function as a signal molecule. In our previous studies, we reported that L-selectin ligation could regulate CSF-1 (colony-stimulating factor-1) gene transcription, in which AP-1 acts as a crucial transcriptional factor. Here we investigated the function of the NFAT in the CSF-1 gene transcriptional events. We found that overexpression of WT NFAT induce CSF-1 gene transcription greatly in the activated Jurkat cells. Furthermore, we found that NFAT can be recruited… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
VALERIA C. DENNINGHOFF1,2*, GEORGINA P. OSSANI1, ANA M. UCEDA1, MARIA A. AVAGNINA2, BORIS ELSNER2, ALBERTO J. MONSERRAT1
BIOCELL, Vol.34, No.2, pp. 65-70, 2010, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2010.34.065
Abstract Weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were fed on a choline-deficient diet with hydrogenated vegetable oil and corn oil as lipids develop acute renal failure. Pathogenesis of the latter is controversial and an ischemic mechanism has been proposed. Arachidonic acid derivatives are involved in the regulation of vascular tonus. Vasospasm could be due to an increase in tromboxane A2-mediated vasoconstriction or to a decrease in prostacyclin-induced vasodilatation. Enzymes involved in the synthesis of both compounds are tromboxane A2- and prostacyclin-synthase respectively. The aim of this study was to identify the variable number tandem repeats (VNTR) in the promoter region of prostacyclin synthase gene… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
CHRIS VORSTER, ANNIE JOUBERT
BIOCELL, Vol.34, No.2, pp. 71-80, 2010, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2010.34.071
Abstract In the search for new and improved anticancer therapies, researchers have identified several potentially useful compounds. One of these agents is 2-methoxyestradiol-bis-sulphamate (2ME-BM), a sulphamoylated derivative of 2-methoxyestradiol. The objective of this study was to evaluate 2ME-BM’s in vitro efficacy as antiproliferative agent in the MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma cell line. Light- and fluorescent microscopy showed decreased cell density, increased apoptotic characteristics and significant ultrastructural aberrations indicative of autophagic cell death after 24 hours of exposure at a concentration of 0.4μM. In addition, mitotic indices revealed that 2ME-BM induces a G2M block. The latter was confirmed by flow cytometric analyses where… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
JUAN CARLOS CAVICCHIA*, GUSTAVO GUEMBE, MABEL FÓSCOLO
BIOCELL, Vol.34, No.2, pp. 81-90, 2010, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2010.34.081
Abstract In a previous paper we described a pronounced increase of apoptotic nuclei in rat corpus luteum of pregnancy whose programmed chromatin degeneration was induced by the progesterone antagonist mifepristone. Those observations encouraged us to study the apoptotic nuclear membrane during pregnancy and after parturition and pup removal, by using a freeze-fracture technique which allows us to observe ‘en face’ the nuclear envelop and also permits nuclear pore counting. This study was complemented with the TUNEL assay (TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling). Changes in nuclear pores during pregnancy begin with an intense reduction in number but still showing an even distribution on… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
LIPING ZHOU*, XIAOLIN GUO, JING BA, LIANSHUANG ZHA
BIOCELL, Vol.34, No.2, pp. 91-94, 2010, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2010.34.091
Abstract CXCL-12 and its receptor CXCR4 participate in breast cancer and melanoma cell metastasis to bone and lymphoid nodes. CD44, as a receptor for hyaluronic acid, is involved in lymphocyte recirculation, homing, adhesion and migration. But the role of CD44 in CXCL-12 induced leukemia cell migration still remains unclear. The present study showed that CXCL-12 stimulation induced the rapid internalization of CXCR4 and facilitated the formation of lamellipodia and uropod in acute leukemia cell line HL-60. CXCL12 also induced CD44 translocation into the uropod, while CD44 remained evenly distributed on the untreated cell membranes. Results suggest that CD44 participates in CXCL-12… More >