Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
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| the n-methyl-d-aspartate receptor's neglected subunit - glun1 matters under normal and hyperbaric conditions. | professional deep-water divers exposed to hyperbaric pressure (hp) above 1.1 mpa develop high-pressure neurological syndrome, which is associated with central nervous system hyperexcitability. it was previously reported that hp augments n-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (nmdar) synaptic responses, increases neuronal excitability, and potentially causes irreversible neuronal damage. in addition, we have reported that hp (10.1 mpa) differentially affects ionic currents, measured by the two-electrode v ... | 2015 | 26202884 |
| concentration-response relationship of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist frm-17874 across multiple in vitro and in vivo assays. | pharmacological activation of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7 nachrs) may improve cognition in schizophrenia and alzheimer's disease. the present studies describe an integrated pharmacological analysis of the effects of frm-17874, an analogue of encenicline, on α7 nachrs in vitro and in behavioral and neurophysiological assays relevant to cognitive function. frm-17874 demonstrated high affinity binding to human α7 nachrs, displacing [(3)h]-methyllacaconitine (ki=4.3nm). in xenopus laevi ... | 2015 | 26206187 |
| light sensitivity in a vertebrate mechanoreceptor? | using immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis, we demonstrate that melanopsin is localised in cells around the central pore of lateral line neuromasts in the african clawed frog, xenopus laevis. since melanopsin is a known photoreceptor pigment with diverse functions in vertebrates, we suggest that the lateral line of xenopus laevis, which is primarily a mechanoreceptor, might also be light sensitive. potential functions of such photosensitivity are discussed, including its role in mediat ... | 2015 | 26206352 |
| xenopus lap2β protein knockdown affects location of lamin b and nucleoporins and has effect on assembly of cell nucleus and cell viability. | xenopus lap2β protein is the single isoform expressed in xtc cells. the protein localizes on heterochromatin clusters both at the nuclear envelope and inside a cell nucleus. the majority of xlap2β fraction neither colocalizes with tpx2 protein during interphase nor can be immunoprecipitated with xlap2β antibody. knockdown of the xlap2β protein expression in xtc cells by synthetic sirna and plasmid encoded sirna resulted in nuclear abnormalities including changes in shape of nuclei, abnormal chro ... | 2016 | 26209045 |
| aspergillus glaucus aquaglyceroporin gene glpf confers high osmosis tolerance in heterologous organisms. | aquaglyceroporins (glpfs) that transport glycerol along with water and other uncharged solutes are involved in osmoregulation in myriad species. fungal species form a large group of eukaryotic organisms, and their glpfs may be diverse, exhibiting various activities. however, few filamentous fungal glpfs have been biologically investigated. here, a glpf gene from the halophilic fungus aspergillus glaucus (agglpf) was verified to be a channel of water or glycerol in xenopus laevis oocytes and was ... | 2015 | 26209670 |
| how does the xenopus laevis embryonic cell cycle avoid spatial chaos? | theoretical studies have shown that a deterministic biochemical oscillator can become chaotic when operating over a sufficiently large volume and have suggested that the xenopus laevis cell cycle oscillator operates close to such a chaotic regime. to experimentally test this hypothesis, we decreased the speed of the post-fertilization calcium wave, which had been predicted to generate chaos. however, cell divisions were found to develop normally, and eggs developed into normal tadpoles. motivate ... | 2015 | 26212326 |
| coexistence of y, w, and z sex chromosomes in xenopus tropicalis. | homomorphic sex chromosomes and rapid turnover of sex-determining genes can complicate establishing the sex chromosome system operating in a given species. this difficulty exists in xenopus tropicalis, an anuran quickly becoming a relevant model for genetic, genomic, biochemical, and ecotoxicological research. despite the recent interest attracted by this species, little is known about its sex chromosome system. direct evidence that females are the heterogametic sex, as in the related species xe ... | 2015 | 26216983 |
| atp4 and ciliation in the neuroectoderm and endoderm of xenopus embryos and tadpoles. | during gastrulation and neurulation, foxj1 expression requires atp4a-dependent wnt/β-catenin signaling for ciliation of the gastrocoel roof plate (walentek et al. cell rep. 1 (2012) 516-527.) and the mucociliary epidermis (walentek et al. dev. biol. (2015)) of xenopus laevis embryos. these data suggested that atp4a and wnt/β-catenin signaling regulate foxj1 throughout xenopus development. here we analyzed whether foxj1 expression was also atp4a-dependent in other ciliated tissues of the developi ... | 2015 | 26217756 |
| regulation of growth rate and developmental timing by xenopus thyroid hormone receptor α. | thyroid hormone (th) is critical for vertebrate postembryonic development, a period around birth in mammals when plasma th levels are high. interestingly, th receptors (trs), especially trα, are expressed prior to the synthesis and secretion of zygotic th, suggesting the existence of unliganded tr during development. however, the role of unliganded tr during mammalian development has been difficult to study, in part due to the relatively weak phenotype of tr knockout mice. amphibian metamorphosi ... | 2016 | 26219216 |
| do nanoparticle physico-chemical properties and developmental exposure window influence nano zno embryotoxicity in xenopus laevis? | the growing global production of zinc oxide nanoparticles (znonps) suggests a realistic increase in the environmental exposure to such a nanomaterial, making the knowledge of its biological reactivity and its safe-by-design synthesis mandatory. in this study, the embryotoxicity of znonps (1-100 mg/l) specifically synthesized for industrial purposes with different sizes, shapes (round, rod) and surface coatings (peg, pvp) was tested using the frog embryo teratogenesis assay-xenopus (fetax) to ide ... | 2015 | 26225989 |
| kinesin family 17 (osmotic avoidance abnormal-3) is dispensable for photoreceptor morphology and function. | in caenorhabditis elegans, homodimeric [kinesin family (kif) 17, osmotic avoidance abnormal-3 (osm-3)] and heterotrimeric (kif3) kinesin-2 motors are required to establish sensory cilia by intraflagellar transport (ift) where kif3 and kif17 cooperate to build the axoneme core and kif17 builds the distal segments. however, the function of kif17 in vertebrates is unresolved. we expressed full-length and motorless kif17 constructs in mouse rod photoreceptors using adeno-associated virus in xenopus ... | 2015 | 26229057 |
| astrocytes phagocytose focal dystrophies from shortening myelin segments in the optic nerve of xenopus laevis at metamorphosis. | oligodendrocytes can adapt to increases in axon diameter through the addition of membrane wraps to myelin segments. here, we report that myelin segments can also decrease their length in response to optic nerve (on) shortening during xenopus laevis metamorphic remodeling. em-based analyses revealed that myelin segment shortening is accomplished by focal myelin-axon detachments and protrusions from otherwise intact myelin segments. astrocyte processes remove these focal myelin dystrophies using k ... | 2015 | 26240339 |
| fertilization competence of the egg-coating envelope is regulated by direct interaction of dicalcin and gp41, the xenopus laevis zp3. | fertilization begins with species-restricted interaction of sperm and the egg-coating envelope, which includes a three-dimensional meshwork of filaments composed of glycoproteins (called zp proteins). growing evidence has unveiled the molecular nature of zp proteins; however, the structural property conferring fertilization competence to the egg-coating envelope remains unknown. here, we show the molecular mechanism that mediates direct interaction between dicalcin, a novel fertilization-suppres ... | 2015 | 26243547 |
| g protein-coupled receptors flop1 and flop2 inhibit wnt/β-catenin signaling and are essential for head formation in xenopus. | patterning of the vertebrate anterior-posterior axis is regulated by the coordinated action of growth factors whose effects can be further modulated by upstream and downstream mediators and the cross-talk of different intracellular pathways. in particular, the inhibition of the wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by various factors is critically required for anterior specification. here, we report that flop1 and flop2 (flop1/2), g protein-coupled receptors related to gpr4, contribute to the regulati ... | 2015 | 26244992 |
| asymmetries in kinesin-2 and cytoplasmic dynein contributions to melanosome transport. | the mechanisms involved in bidirectional transport along microtubules remain largely unknown. we explored the collective action of kinesin-2 and dynein motors during transport of melanosomes in xenopus laevis melanophores. these motors are attached to organelles through accessory proteins establishing a complex molecular linker. we determined both the stiffness of this linker and the organelles speed and observed that these parameters depended on the organelle size and cargo direction. our resul ... | 2015 | 26247430 |
| the human acid-sensing ion channel asic1a: evidence for a homotetrameric assembly state at the cell surface. | the chicken acid-sensing ion channel asic1 has been crystallized as a homotrimer. we address here the oligomeric state of the functional asic1 in situ at the cell surface. the oligomeric states of functional asic1a and mutants with additional cysteines introduced in the extracellular pore vestibule were resolved on sds-page. the functional asic1 complexes were stabilized at the cell surface of xenopus laevis oocytes or cho cells either using the sulfhydryl crosslinker bmoe, or sodium tetrathiona ... | 2015 | 26252376 |
| pseudouridine in mrna: incorporation, detection, and recoding. | it has long been known that pseudouridine (ψ) is the most abundant modified nucleotide in stable rnas, including trna, rrna, and snrna. recent studies using massive parallel sequencing have uncovered the presence of hundreds of ψs in mrnas as well. in eukaryotes and archaea, rna pseudouridylation is introduced predominantly by box h/aca rnps, rna-protein complexes each consisting of a single rna moiety and four core proteins. it has been well established that ψ plays an essential role in regulat ... | 2015 | 26253972 |
| cell cycle synchronization in xenopus egg extracts. | many important discoveries in cell cycle research have been made using cell-free extracts prepared from the eggs of the south african clawed frog xenopus laevis. these extracts efficiently support the key nuclear functions of the eukaryotic cell cycle in vitro under apparently the same controls that exist in vivo. the xenopus cell-free system is therefore uniquely suited to the study of the mechanisms, dynamics and integration of cell cycle regulated processes at a biochemical level. here, we de ... | 2016 | 26254920 |
| a screening assay for thyroid hormone signaling disruption based on thyroid hormone-response gene expression analysis in the frog pelophylax nigromaculatus. | amphibian metamorphosis provides a wonderful model to study the thyroid hormone (th) signaling disrupting activity of environmental chemicals, with xenopus laevis as the most commonly used species. this study aimed to establish a rapid and sensitive screening assay based on th-response gene expression analysis using pelophylax nigromaculatus, a native frog species distributed widely in east asia, especially in china. to achieve this, five candidate th-response genes that were sensitive to t3 ind ... | 2015 | 26257357 |
| fluorescent ratiometric ph indicator sypher2: applications in neuroscience and regenerative biology. | sypher is a genetically encoded fluorescent ph-indicator with a ratiometric readout, suitable for measuring fast intracellular ph shifts. however, the relatively low brightness of the indicator limits its use. | 2015 | 26259819 |
| the small heat shock protein, hsp30, is associated with aggresome-like inclusion bodies in proteasomal inhibitor-, arsenite-, and cadmium-treated xenopus kidney cells. | in the present study, treatment of xenopus laevis a6 kidney epithelial cells with the proteasomal inhibitor, mg132, or the environmental toxicants, sodium arsenite or cadmium chloride, induced the accumulation of the small heat shock protein, hsp30, in total and in both soluble and insoluble protein fractions. immunocytochemical analysis revealed the presence of relatively large hsp30 structures primarily in the perinuclear region of the cytoplasm. all three of the stressors promoted the formati ... | 2015 | 26260897 |
| identification of genes expressed in the migrating primitive myeloid lineage of xenopus laevis. | during primitive hematopoiesis in xenopus, cebpa and spib expressing myeloid cells emerge from the anterior ventral blood island. primitive myeloid cells migrate throughout the embryo and are critical for immunity, healing, and development. although definitive hematopoiesis has been studied extensively, molecular mechanisms leading to the migration of primitive myelocytes remain poorly understood. we hypothesized these cells have specific extracellular matrix modifying and cell motility gene exp ... | 2016 | 26264370 |
| xenopus pkdcc1 and pkdcc2 are two new tyrosine kinases involved in the regulation of jnk dependent wnt/pcp signaling pathway. | protein kinase domain containing, cytoplasmic (pkdcc) is a protein kinase which has been implicated in longitudinal bone growth through regulation of chondrocytes formation. nevertheless, the mechanism by which this occurs remains unknown. here, we identified two new members of the pkdcc family, pkdcc1 and pkdcc2 from xenopus laevis. interestingly, our knockdown experiments revealed that these two proteins are both involved on blastopore and neural tube closure during gastrula and neurula stages ... | 2015 | 26270962 |
| glutamate cycling may drive organic anion transport on the basal membrane of human placental syncytiotrophoblast. | the organic anion transporter oat4 (slc22a11) and organic anion transporting polypeptide oatp2b1 (slco2b1) are expressed in the basal membrane of the placental syncytiotrophoblast. these transporters mediate exchange whereby uptake of one organic anion is coupled to efflux of a counter-ion. in placenta, these exchangers mediate placental uptake of substrates for oestrogen synthesis as well as clearing waste products and xenobiotics from the fetal circulation. however, the identity of the counter ... | 2015 | 26277985 |
| direct recording of trans-plasma membrane electron currents mediated by a member of the cytochrome b561 family of soybean. | trans-plasma membrane electron transfer is achieved by b-type cytochromes of different families, and plays a fundamental role in diverse cellular processes involving two interacting redox couples that are physically separated by a phospholipid bilayer, such as iron uptake and redox signaling. despite their importance, no direct recordings of trans-plasma membrane electron currents have been described in plants. in this work, we provide robust electrophysiological evidence of trans-plasma membran ... | 2015 | 26282237 |
| metamorphic remodeling of the olfactory organ of the african clawed frog, xenopus laevis. | the amphibian olfactory system undergoes massive remodeling during metamorphosis. the transition from aquatic olfaction in larvae to semiaquatic or airborne olfaction in adults requires anatomical, cellular, and molecular modifications. these changes are particularly pronounced in pipidae, whose adults have secondarily adapted to an aquatic life style. in the fully aquatic larvae of xenopus laevis, the main olfactory epithelium specialized for sensing water-borne odorous substances lines the pri ... | 2016 | 26294036 |
| the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, and the pyrethroid deltamethrin, are antagonists of the insect rdl gaba receptor. | a mutation in the second transmembrane domain of the gaba receptor subunit, rdl, is associated with resistance to insecticides such as dieldrin and fipronil. molecular cloning of rdl cdna from a strain of the malaria mosquito, anopheles gambiae, which is highly resistant to dieldrin revealed this mutation (a296g) as well as another mutation in the third transmembrane domain (t345m). wild-type, a296g, t345m and a296g + t345m homomultimeric rdl were expressed in xenopus laevis oocytes and their se ... | 2015 | 26296809 |
| targeted inhibition of snail activity in breast cancer cells by using a co(iii) -ebox conjugate. | the transition from a non-invasive to an invasive phenotype is an essential step in tumor metastasis. the snail family of transcription factors (tfs) is known to play a significant role in this transition. these tfs are zinc fingers that bind to the caggtg ebox consensus sequence. co(iii) -ebox is a cobalt(iii) complex attached to an ebox oligonucleotide that confers specificity towards snail tfs. co(iii) -ebox has been shown to inhibit snail-mediated embryonic neural crest development in xenopu ... | 2015 | 26305708 |
| prediction of functionally important phospho-regulatory events in xenopus laevis oocytes. | the african clawed frog xenopus laevis is an important model organism for studies in developmental and cell biology, including cell-signaling. however, our knowledge of x. laevis protein post-translational modifications remains scarce. here, we used a mass spectrometry-based approach to survey the phosphoproteome of this species, compiling a list of 2636 phosphosites. we used structural information and phosphoproteomic data for 13 other species in order to predict functionally important phospho- ... | 2015 | 26312481 |
| effect of a grin2a de novo mutation associated with epilepsy and intellectual disability on nmda receptor currents and mg(2+) block in cultured primary cortical neurons. | background grin2a encodes the glun2a subunit of the nmda receptor (nmdar), an ionotropic glutamate receptor that has important roles in synaptogenesis and synaptic plasticity. some individuals with early onset epilepsies and intellectual disability carry heterozygous missense mutations in this gene, including a de-novo mutation in the receptor pore region (glun2a(n615k)). we hypothesised that this mutation underlies the carrier's brain disorder and sought to explore its functional consequences. | 2015 | 26312887 |
| aquaporins mediate silicon transport in humans. | in animals, silicon is an abundant and differentially distributed trace element that is believed to play important biological functions. one would thus expect silicon concentrations in body fluids to be regulated by silicon transporters at the surface of many cell types. curiously, however, and even though they exist in plants and algae, no such transporters have been identified to date in vertebrates. here, we show for the first time that the human aquaglyceroporins, i.e., aqp3, aqp7, aqp9 and ... | 2015 | 26313002 |
| prepatterning and patterning of the thalamus along embryonic development of xenopus laevis. | previous developmental studies of the thalamus (alar part of the diencephalic prosomere p2) have defined the molecular basis for the acquisition of the thalamic competence (preparttening), the subsequent formation of the secondary organizer in the zona limitans intrathalamica, and the early specification of two anteroposterior domains (rostral and caudal progenitor domains) in response to inducing activities and that are shared in birds and mammals. in the present study we have analyzed the embr ... | 2015 | 26321920 |
| glutathione release through connexin hemichannels: implications for chemical modification of pores permeable to large molecules. | cysteine-scanning mutagenesis combined with thiol reagent modification is a powerful method with which to define the pore-lining elements of channels and the changes in structure that accompany channel gating. using the xenopus laevis oocyte expression system and two-electrode voltage clamp, we performed cysteine-scanning mutagenesis of several pore-lining residues of connexin 26 (cx26) hemichannels, followed by chemical modification using a methanethiosulfonate (mts) reagent, to help identify t ... | 2015 | 26324677 |
| characterization of ticlopidine-induced developmental and teratogenic defects in xenopus embryos and human endothelial cells. | ticlopidine is an anti-platelet drug that inhibits platelet aggregation via the functional alteration of platelet membranes. however, the mechanism underlying the adverse developmental effects of ticlopidine has not been clearly demonstrated. in this study, we evaluated the developmental toxicity and teratogenicity of ticlopidine on xenopus laevis embryos and in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (huvecs) using a frog embryo teratogenesis assay-xenopus (fetax) and blood and lymph vessel form ... | 2015 | 26327247 |
| copy number variation and genetic diversity of mhc class iib alleles in an alien population of xenopus laevis. | xenopus laevis (the african clawed frog), which originated through hybridisation and whole genome duplication, has been used as a model for genetics and development for many years, but surprisingly little is known about immune gene variation in natural populations. the purpose of this study was to use an isolated population of x. laevis that was introduced to wales, uk in the past 50 years to investigate how variation at the mhc compares to that at other loci, following a severe population bottl ... | 2015 | 26329765 |
| sensory-evoked spiking behavior emerges via an experience-dependent plasticity mechanism. | the ability to generate action potentials (spikes) in response to synaptic input determines whether a neuron participates in information processing. how a developing neuron becomes an active participant in a circuit or whether this process is activity dependent is not known, especially as spike-dependent plasticity mechanisms would not be available to non-spiking neurons. here we use the optic tectum of awake xenopus laevis tadpoles to determine how a neuron becomes able to generate sensory-driv ... | 2015 | 26335647 |
| hspa9 is required for pronephros specification and formation in xenopus laevis. | development of the pronephros in xenopus laevis is largely dependent on retinoic acid signaling at the time of kidney field specification with the simultaneous occurrence of a necessary calcium signaling. at the crossroads of these two signaling pathways, we studied the role of hspa9 (heat shock 70 kda protein 9) encoding a mitochondrial chaperone in pronephros development. | 2015 | 26335666 |
| global analysis of asymmetric rna enrichment in oocytes reveals low conservation between closely related xenopus species. | rnas that localize to the vegetal cortex during xenopus laevis oogenesis have been reported to function in germ layer patterning, axis determination, and development of the primordial germ cells. here we report on the genome-wide, comparative analysis of differentially localizing rnas in xenopus laevis and xenopus tropicalis oocytes, revealing a surprisingly weak degree of conservation in respect to the identity of animally as well as vegetally enriched transcripts in these closely related speci ... | 2015 | 26337391 |
| phosphorylation at serine 52 and 635 does not alter the transport properties of glucosinolate transporter atgtr1. | little is known about how plants regulate transporters of defense compounds. in a. thaliana, glucosinolates are transported between tissues by npf2.10 (atgtr1) and npf2.11 (atgtr2). mining of the phosphat4.0 database showed two cytosol exposed phosphorylation sites for atgtr1 and one membrane-buried phosphorylation site for atgtr2. in this study, we investigate whether mutation of the two potential regulatory sites of atgtr1 affected transport of glucosinolates in xenopus oocytes. characterizati ... | 2016 | 26340317 |
| histone h2b gene cloning, with implication for its function during nuclear shaping in the chinese mitten crab, eriocheir sinensis. | spermatogenesis in animals is the process by which male spermatogonia develop into mature spermatozoa. in most taxa, the process involves changes in the basic proteins associated with dna. somatic-type histones are partially or totally replaced by transition proteins, which in turn are replaced by protamines producing compact packaging of the genome. sperm chromatin in the chinese mitten crab (eriocheir sinensis) has a noncompacted loosely arranged organization. however, its formation during spe ... | 2016 | 26343795 |
| nf2/merlin is required for the axial pattern formation in the xenopus laevis embryo. | the nf2 gene product merlin is a ferm-domain protein possessing a broad tumor-suppressing function. nf2/merlin has been implicated in regulating multiple signaling pathways critical for cell growth and survival. however, it remains unknown whether nf2/merlin regulates wnt/β-catenin signaling during vertebrate embryogenesis. here we demonstrate that nf2/merlin is required for body pattern formation in the xenopus laevis embryo. depletion of the maternal nf2/merlin enhances organizer gene expressi ... | 2015 | 26344136 |
| a zinc(ii) photocage based on a decarboxylation metal ion release mechanism for investigating homeostasis and biological signaling. | metal ion signaling in biology has been studied extensively with ortho-nitrobenzyl photocages; however, the low quantum yields and other optical properties are not ideal for these applications. we describe the synthesis and characterization of ntadecage, the first member in a new class of zn(2+) photocages that utilizes a light-driven decarboxylation reaction in the metal ion release mechanism. ntadecage binds zn(2+) with sub-pm affinity using a modified nitrilotriacetate chelator and exhibits a ... | 2015 | 26346802 |
| kinetochore function is controlled by a phospho-dependent coexpansion of inner and outer components. | it is widely accepted that the kinetochore is built on cenp-a-marked centromeric chromatin in a hierarchical order from inner to outer kinetochore. recruitment of many kinetochore proteins depends on microtubule attachment status, but it remains unclear how their assembly/disassembly is orchestrated. applying 3d structured illumination microscopy to xenopus laevis egg extracts, here we reveal that in the absence of microtubule attachment, proteins responsible for lateral attachment and spindle c ... | 2015 | 26347137 |
| role of n-glycosylation in renal betaine transport. | the osmolyte and folding chaperone betaine is transported by the renal na(+)-coupled gaba (γ-aminobutyric acid) symporter bgt-1 (betaine/gaba transporter 1), a member of the slc6 (solute carrier 6) family. under hypertonic conditions, the transcription, translation and plasma membrane (pm) insertion of bgt-1 in kidney cells are significantly increased, resulting in elevated betaine and gaba transport. re-establishing isotonicity involves pm depletion of bgt-1. the molecular mechanism of the regu ... | 2015 | 26348906 |
| cdc174, a novel component of the exon junction complex whose mutation underlies a syndrome of hypotonia and psychomotor developmental delay. | siblings of non-consanguineous jewish-ethiopian ancestry presented with congenital axial hypotonia, weakness of the abducens nerve, psychomotor developmental delay with brain ventriculomegaly, variable thinning of corpus callosum and cardiac septal defects. homozygosity mapping identified a single disease-associated locus of 3.5 mb on chromosome 3. studies of a bedouin consanguineous kindred affected with a similar recessive phenotype identified a single disease-associated 18 mb homozygosity loc ... | 2015 | 26358778 |
| gata2 regulates wnt signaling to promote primitive red blood cell fate. | primitive erythropoiesis is regulated in a non cell-autonomous fashion across evolution from frogs to mammals. in xenopus laevis, signals from the overlying ectoderm are required to induce the mesoderm to adopt an erythroid fate. previous studies in our lab identified the transcription factor gata2 as a key regulator of this ectodermal signal. to identify gata2 target genes in the ectoderm required for red blood cell formation in the mesoderm, we used microarray analysis to compare gene expressi ... | 2015 | 26365900 |
| identification of a vxp targeting signal in the flagellar na+ /k+ -atpase. | na(+) /k(+) -atpase (nka) participates in setting electrochemical gradients, cardiotonic steroid signaling and cellular adhesion. distinct isoforms of nka are found in different tissues and subcellular localization patterns. for example, nka α1 is widely expressed, nka α3 is enriched in neurons and nka α4 is a testes-specific isoform found in sperm flagella. in some tissues, ankyrin, a key component of the membrane cytoskeleton, can regulate the trafficking of nka. in the retina, nka and ankyrin ... | 2015 | 26373354 |
| molecular cloning and functional expression of the equine k+ channel kv11.1 (ether à go-go-related/kcnh2 gene) and the regulatory subunit kcne2 from equine myocardium. | the kcnh2 and kcne2 genes encode the cardiac voltage-gated k+ channel kv11.1 and its auxiliary β subunit kcne2. kv11.1 is critical for repolarization of the cardiac action potential. in humans, mutations or drug therapy affecting the kv11.1 channel are associated with prolongation of the qt intervals on the ecg and increased risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmia and sudden cardiac death--conditions known as congenital or acquired long qt syndrome (lqts), respectively. in horses, sudden, unexplaine ... | 2015 | 26376488 |
| grapevine and arabidopsis cation-chloride cotransporters localize to the golgi and trans-golgi network and indirectly influence long-distance ion transport and plant salt tolerance. | plant cation-chloride cotransporters (cccs) have been implicated in conferring salt tolerance. they are predicted to improve shoot salt exclusion by directly catalyzing the retrieval of sodium (na(+)) and chloride (cl(-)) ions from the root xylem. we investigated whether grapevine (vitis vinifera [vvi]) ccc has a role in salt tolerance by cloning and functionally characterizing the gene from the cultivar cabernet sauvignon. amino acid sequence analysis revealed that vviccc shares a high degree o ... | 2015 | 26378102 |
| incorporation of non-canonical amino acids. | in this chapter we discuss the strengths, caveats and technical considerations of three approaches for reprogramming the chemical composition of selected amino acids within a membrane protein. in vivo nonsense suppression in the xenopus laevis oocyte, evolved orthogonal trna and aminoacyl-trna synthetase pairs and protein ligation for biochemical production of semisynthetic proteins have been used successfully for ion channel and receptor studies. the level of difficulty for the application of e ... | 2015 | 26381943 |
| histone h3 lysine 9 trimethylation is required for suppressing the expression of an embryonically activated retrotransposon in xenopus laevis. | transposable elements in the genome are generally silenced in differentiated somatic cells. however, increasing evidence indicates that some of them are actively transcribed in early embryos and the proper regulation of retrotransposon expression is essential for normal development. although their developmentally regulated expression has been shown, the mechanisms controlling retrotransposon expression in early embryos are still not well understood. here, we observe a dynamic expression pattern ... | 2015 | 26387861 |
| the xenopus orfeome: a resource that enables functional genomics. | functional characterisation of proteins and large-scale, systems-level studies are enabled by extensive sets of cloned open reading frames (orfs) in an easily-accessible format that enables many different applications. here we report the release of the first stage of the xenopus orfeome, which contains 8673 orfs from the xenopus gene collection (xgc) for xenopus laevis, cloned into a gateway® donor vector enabling rapid in-frame transfer of the orfs to expression vectors. this resource represent ... | 2015 | 26391338 |
| involvement of vat-1 in phosphatidylserine transfer from the endoplasmic reticulum to mitochondria. | mitochondria receive phosphatidylserine (ps) from the endoplasmic reticulum (er), but how ps is moved from the er to mitochondria is unclear. current models postulate a physical link between the organelles, but no involvement of cytosolic proteins. here, we have reconstituted ps transport from the er to mitochondria in vitro using xenopus egg components. transport is independent of er proteins, but is dependent on a cytosolic factor that has a preferential affinity for ps. crosslinking with a ph ... | 2015 | 26394711 |
| proteomics of xenopus development. | modern mass spectrometry-based methods provide an exciting opportunity to characterize protein expression in the developing embryo. we have employed an isotopic labeling technology to quantify the expression dynamics of nearly 6000 proteins across six stages of development in xenopus laevis from the single stage zygote through the mid-blastula transition and the onset of organogenesis. approximately 40% of the proteins show significant changes in expression across the development stages. the exp ... | 2016 | 26396253 |
| isoform-specific phosphorylation-dependent regulation of connexin hemichannels. | connexins form gap junction channels made up of two connexons (hemichannels) from adjacent cells. unopposed hemichannels may open toward the extracellular space upon stimulation by, e.g., removal of divalent cations from the extracellular solution and allow isoform-specific transmembrane flux of fluorescent dyes and physiologically relevant molecules, such as atp and ions. connexin (cx)43 and cx30 are the major astrocytic connexins. protein kinase c (pkc) regulates cx43 in its cell-cell gap junc ... | 2015 | 26400258 |
| xenopus limb bud morphogenesis. | xenopus laevis, the south african clawed frog, is a well-established model organism for the study of developmental biology and regeneration due to its many advantages for both classical and molecular studies of patterning and morphogenesis. while contemporary studies of limb development tend to focus on models developed from the study of chicken and mouse embryos, there are also many classical studies of limb development in frogs. these include both fate and specification maps, that, due to thei ... | 2016 | 26404044 |
| the role of flexible loops in folding, trafficking and activity of equilibrative nucleoside transporters. | equilibrative nucleoside transporters (ents) are integral membrane proteins, which reside in plasma membranes of all eukaryotic cells and mediate thermodynamically downhill transport of nucleosides. this process is essential for nucleoside recycling, and also plays a key role in terminating adenosine-mediated cellular signaling. furthermore, ents mediate the uptake of many drugs, including anticancer and antiviral nucleoside analogues. the structure and mechanism, by which ents catalyze trans-me ... | 2015 | 26406980 |
| joint effects of pesticides and ultraviolet-b radiation on amphibian larvae. | a combination of multiple stressors may be linked to global amphibian declines. of these, pesticides and uvb radiation co-exposures were examined on the african clawed frog (xenopus laevis) to provide information that may be useful for amphibian conservation. the independent action model and inferential statistics were used to examine interactions between pesticides (malathion, endosulfan, α-cypermethrin, or chlorothalonil) and environmentally relevant uvb exposures. uvb radiation alone caused 3 ... | 2015 | 26412264 |
| low concentrations of metal mixture exposures have adverse effects on selected biomarkers of xenopus laevis tadpoles. | polluted ecosystems may contain mixtures of metals, such that the combinations of metals, even in low concentrations, may cause adverse effects. in the present study, we focused on toxic effects of mixtures of selected metals, the lc50 values, and also their safety limit in aquatic systems imposed by the european legislation using a model organism. xenopus laevis tadpoles were used as test organisms. they were exposed to metals or their combinations due to 96-h lc50 values. glutathione s-transfe ... | 2015 | 26415005 |
| exposure to 3,3',5-triiodothyronine affects histone and rna polymerase ii modifications, but not dna methylation status, in the regulatory region of the xenopus laevis thyroid hormone receptor βα gene. | thyroid hormones (ths) play a critical role in amphibian metamorphosis, during which the th receptor (tr) gene, thrb, is upregulated in a tissue-specific manner. the xenopus laevis thrb gene has 3 th response elements (tres) in the 5' flanking regulatory region and 1 tre in the exon b region, around which cpg sites are highly distributed. to clarify whether exposure to 3,3',5-triiodothyronine (t3) affects histone and rna polymerase ii (rnapii) modifications and the level of dna methylation in th ... | 2015 | 26417689 |
| dicalcin, a zona pellucida protein that regulates fertilization competence of the egg coat in xenopus laevis. | fertilization is a highly coordinated process whereby sperm interact with the egg-coating envelope (called the zona pellucida, zp) in a taxon-restricted manner, fertilization triggers the resumption of the cell cycle of the egg, ultimately leading to generation of a new organism that contains hereditary information of the parents. the complete sperm-zp interaction comprises sperm recognition of the zp, the acrosome reaction, penetration of the zp, and fusion with the egg. recent evidence suggest ... | 2015 | 26420688 |
| biochemical and hematologic reference intervals for aged xenopus laevis in a research colony. | xenopus laevis, the african clawed frog, is commonly used in developmental and toxicology research studies. little information is available on aged x. laevis; however, with the complete mapping of the genome and the availability of transgenic animal models, the number of aged animals in research colonies is increasing. the goals of this study were to obtain biochemical and hematologic parameters to establish reference intervals for aged x. laevis and to compare results with those from young adul ... | 2015 | 26424243 |
| concentration-dependent effects of nuclear lamins on nuclear size in xenopus and mammalian cells. | a fundamental question in cell biology concerns the regulation of organelle size. while nuclear size is exquisitely controlled in different cell types, inappropriate nuclear enlargement is used to diagnose and stage cancer. clarifying the functional significance of nuclear size necessitates an understanding of the mechanisms and proteins that control nuclear size. one structural component implicated in the regulation of nuclear morphology is the nuclear lamina, a meshwork of intermediate lamin f ... | 2015 | 26429910 |
| extinction of an introduced warm-climate alien species, xenopus laevis, by extreme weather events. | invasive, non-native species represent a major threat to biodiversity worldwide. the african amphibian xenopus laevis is widely regarded as an invasive species and a threat to local faunas. populations originating at the western cape, south africa, have been introduced on four continents, mostly in areas with a similar mediterranean climate. some introduced populations are also established in cooler environments where persistence for many decades suggests a capacity for long-term adaptation. in ... | 2017 | 26430383 |
| tebuconazole disrupts steroidogenesis in xenopus laevis. | a 27-day controlled exposure study of adult male african clawed frogs (xenopus laevis) was conducted to examine the mechanism by which tebuconazole may disrupt steroidogenesis. the fungicide was measured by lc-ms/ms in tank water and in target tissues (adipose, kidney, liver, and brain), and we observed tissue-specific bioconcentration with bcf up to 238. up to 10 different steroid hormones were quantified in gonads using lc-ms/ms and in plasma using gc-ms/ms and a radioimmunoassay was performed ... | 2015 | 26432166 |
| the phytosiderophore efflux transporter tom2 is involved in metal transport in rice. | iron is an essential metal element for all living organisms. graminaceous plants produce and secrete mugineic acid family phytosiderophores from their roots to acquire iron in the soil. phytosiderophores chelate and solubilize insoluble iron hydroxide in the soil. subsequently, plants take up iron-phytosiderophore complexes through specific transporters on the root cell membrane. phytosiderophores are also thought to be important for the internal transport of various transition metals, including ... | 2015 | 26432636 |
| xenopus laevis as a model to identify translation impairment. | protein synthesis is a fundamental process to gene expression impacting diverse biological processes notably adaptation to environmental conditions. the initiation step, which involves the assembly of the ribosomal subunits at the mrna initiation codon, involved initiation factor including eif4g1. defects in this rate limiting step of translation are linked to diverse disorders. to study the potential consequences of such deregulations, xenopus laevis oocytes constitute an attractive model with ... | 2015 | 26437037 |
| xenopus borealis as an alternative source of oocytes for biophysical and pharmacological studies of neuronal ion channels. | for the past 30 years, oocytes from xenopus laevis have been extensively used to express and characterise ion channels in an easily controlled environment. here we report the first use of oocytes from the closely related species xenopus borealis as an alternative expression system for neuronal ion channels. using the two-electrode voltage-clamp technique, we show that a wide variety of voltage- and ligand-gated ion channels have the same channel properties and pharmacological profiles when expre ... | 2015 | 26440210 |
| dual processing of sulfated steroids in the olfactory system of an anuran amphibian. | chemical communication is widespread in amphibians, but if compared to later diverging tetrapods the available functional data is limited. the existing information on the vomeronasal system of anurans is particularly sparse. amphibians represent a transitional stage in the evolution of the olfactory system. most species have anatomically separated main and vomeronasal systems, but recent studies have shown that in anurans their molecular separation is still underway. sulfated steroids function a ... | 2015 | 26441543 |
| putting it all on pigmentation: heuristics of a bold and stochastic cell fate decision. | gradients of transmembrane potential coordinate cell-fate decisions and patterning during embryogenesis and wound-healing. bioelectrical signaling may also be more important for adult pathologies than currently recognized. in this issue of science signaling, lobikin et al. describe a role for bioelectric signals during the development of xenopus leavis embryos to instruct an organism-level response reminiscent of neoplastic progression in melanoma. | 2015 | 26443702 |
| serotonergic regulation of melanocyte conversion: a bioelectrically regulated network for stochastic all-or-none hyperpigmentation. | experimentally induced depolarization of resting membrane potential in "instructor cells" in xenopus laevis embryos causes hyperpigmentation in an all-or-none fashion in some tadpoles due to excess proliferation and migration of melanocytes. we showed that this stochastic process involved serotonin signaling, adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (camp), and the transcription factors camp response element-binding protein (creb), sox10, and slug. transcriptional microarray analysis of embryos taken at st ... | 2015 | 26443706 |
| ca(2+)-bk channel clusters in olfactory receptor neurons and their role in odour coding. | olfactory receptor neurons (orns) have high-voltage-gated ca(2+) channels whose physiological impact has remained enigmatic since the voltage-gated conductances in this cell type were first described in the 1980s. here we show that in orn somata of xenopus laevis tadpoles these channels are clustered and co-expressed with large-conductance potassium (bk) channels. we found approximately five clusters per orn and twelve ca(2+) channels per cluster. the action potential-triggered activation of bk ... | 2015 | 26452167 |
| rho kinase is required to prevent retinal axons from entering the contralateral optic nerve. | to grow out to contact target neurons an axon uses its distal tip, the growth cone, as a sensor of molecular cues that help the axon make appropriate guidance decisions at a series of choice points along the journey. in the developing visual system, the axons of the output cells of the retina, the retinal ganglion cells (rgcs), cross the brain midline at the optic chiasm. shortly after, they grow past the brain entry point of the optic nerve arising from the contralateral eye, and extend dorso-c ... | 2015 | 26455469 |
| the scd6/lsm14 protein xrapb has properties different from rap55 in selecting mrna for early translation or intracellular distribution in xenopus oocytes. | oocytes accumulate mrnas in the form of maternal ribonucleoprotein (rnp) particles, the protein components of which determine the location and stability of individual mrnas prior to translation. scd6/lsm14 proteins, typified by rap55, function in a wide range of eukaryotes in repressing translation and relocating mrnps to processing bodies and stress granules. in xenopus laevis, the rap55 orthologue xrapa fulfils these functions. here we describe the properties of a variant of xrapa, xrapb, whic ... | 2015 | 26455898 |
| the xenopus tropicalis orthologue of trpv3 is heat sensitive. | thermosensitive members of the transient receptor potential (trp) family of ion channels (thermal trp channels) play a crucial role in mammalian temperature sensing. orthologues of these channels are present in lower vertebrates and, remarkably, some thermal trp orthologues from different species appear to mediate opposing responses to temperature. for example, whereas the mammalian trpv3 channel is activated by heat, frog trpv3 is reportedly activated by cold. intrigued by the potential implica ... | 2015 | 26458875 |
| a curcumin analog, go-y078, effectively inhibits angiogenesis through actin disorganization. | the inhibition of angiogenesis is a theoretically ideal chemotherapy for cancer, but there remains room for improvement. most inhibitors of angiogenesis approved to date target vascular endothelial growth factors (vegfs); however, vegfs are only one of the many classes of participant in tumor angiogenesis. because tumor angiogenesis is orchestrated by many components, including growth factors, signal transducers, and effectors, its regulation exhibits redundancy. curcumin can associate with many ... | 2016 | 26459768 |
| phosphorylation of rs1 (rsc1a1) steers inhibition of different exocytotic pathways for glucose transporter sglt1 and nucleoside transporter cnt1, and an rs1-derived peptide inhibits glucose absorption. | cellular uptake adapts rapidly to physiologic demands by changing transporter abundance in the plasma membrane. the human gene rsc1a1 codes for a 67-kda protein named rs1 that has been shown to induce downregulation of the sodium-d-glucose cotransporter 1 (sglt1) and of the concentrative nucleoside transporter 1 (cnt1) in the plasma membrane by blocking exocytosis at the golgi. injecting rs1 fragments into xenopus laevis oocytes expressing sglt1 or cnt1 and measuring the expressed uptake of α-me ... | 2016 | 26464324 |
| bumetanide derivatives aqb007 and aqb011 selectively block the aquaporin-1 ion channel conductance and slow cancer cell migration. | aquaporins (aqps) in the major intrinsic family of proteins mediate fluxes of water and other small solutes across cell membranes. aqp1 is a water channel, and under permissive conditions, a nonselective cation channel gated by cgmp. in addition to mediating fluid transport, aqp1 expression facilitates rapid cell migration in cell types including colon cancers and glioblastoma. work here defines new pharmacological derivatives of bumetanide that selectively inhibit the ion channel, but not the w ... | 2016 | 26467039 |
| catalytic activity of human carbonic anhydrase isoform ix is displayed both extra- and intracellularly. | most carbonic anhydrases catalyse the reversible conversion of carbon dioxide to protons and bicarbonate, either as soluble cytosolic enzymes, in or at intracellular organelles, or at the extracellular face of the cell membrane as membrane-anchored proteins. carbonic anhydrase isoform ix (ca ix), a membrane-bound enzyme with catalytic activity at the extracellular membrane surface, has come to prominence in recent years because of its association with hypoxic tissue, particularly tumours, often ... | 2016 | 26470855 |
| effects of dietary exposure of polycyclic musk hhcb on the metamorphosis of xenopus laevis. | the compound 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethylcyclopenta-[γ]-2-benzopyrane (hhcb; galaxolide, chemical abstracts service number 1222-05-5) is a synthetic musk used extensively as a fragrance in many consumer products and classified as an emerging pollutant. the ecotoxicological information available for hhcb addresses exposure via water, but this compound is frequently adsorbed into particulate matter. the goal of the present study was to assess the effects of dietary exposure to seve ... | 2016 | 26472276 |
| cell cycle control in the early embryonic development of aquatic animal species. | the cell cycle is integrated with many aspects of embryonic development. not only is proper control over the pace of cell proliferation important, but also the timing of cell cycle progression is coordinated with transcription, cell migration, and cell differentiation. due to the ease with which the embryos of aquatic organisms can be observed and manipulated, they have been a popular choice for embryologists throughout history. in the cell cycle field, aquatic organisms have been extremely impo ... | 2015 | 26475527 |
| functional characterization of a transition metal ion transporter, oszip6 from rice (oryza sativa l.). | micronutrients are important for the growth and development of plants, which deploy families of transporters for their uptake and distribution. we have functionally characterized a novel transition metal ion transporter from rice, oszip6 (oryza sativa zinc regulated transporter, iron regulated transporter-like protein 6). the transporter was found to be transcriptionally activated in shoot and root tissues in response to deficiency in fe(2+), zn(2+) and mn(2+). oszip6 was expressed in xenopus la ... | 2015 | 26476396 |
| the hydroxyl side chain of a highly conserved serine residue is required for cation selectivity and substrate transport in the glial glutamate transporter glt-1/slc1a2. | glutamate transporters maintain synaptic concentration of the excitatory neurotransmitter below neurotoxic levels. their transport cycle consists of cotransport of glutamate with three sodium ions and one proton, followed by countertransport of potassium. structural studies proposed that a highly conserved serine located in the binding pocket of the homologous gltph coordinates l-aspartate as well as the sodium ion na1. to experimentally validate these findings, we generated and characterized se ... | 2015 | 26483543 |
| in vivo study of dynamics and stability of dendritic spines on olfactory bulb interneurons in xenopus laevis tadpoles. | dendritic spines undergo continuous remodeling during development of the nervous system. their stability is essential for maintaining a functional neuronal circuit. spine dynamics and stability of cortical excitatory pyramidal neurons have been explored extensively in mammalian animal models. however, little is known about spiny interneurons in non-mammalian vertebrate models. in the present study, neuronal morphology was visualized by single-cell electroporation. spiny neurons were surveyed in ... | 2015 | 26485435 |
| corrigendum: fertilization competence of the egg-coating envelope is regulated by direct interaction of dicalcin and gp41, the xenopus laevis zp3. | 2015 | 26488680 | |
| rhodopsin forms nanodomains in rod outer segment disc membranes of the cold-blooded xenopus laevis. | rhodopsin forms nanoscale domains (i.e., nanodomains) in rod outer segment disc membranes from mammalian species. it is unclear whether rhodopsin arranges in a similar manner in amphibian species, which are often used as a model system to investigate the function of rhodopsin and the structure of photoreceptor cells. moreover, since samples are routinely prepared at low temperatures, it is unclear whether lipid phase separation effects in the membrane promote the observed nanodomain organization ... | 2015 | 26492040 |
| odorant receptor-based discovery of natural repellents of human lice. | the body louse, pediculus humanus humanus, is an obligate blood-feeding ectoparasite and an important insect vector that mediates the transmission of diseases to humans. the analysis of the body louse genome revealed a drastic reduction of the chemosensory gene repertoires when compared to other insects, suggesting specific olfactory adaptations to host specialization and permanent parasitic lifestyle. here, we present for the first time functional evidence for the role of odorant receptors (ors ... | 2015 | 26494014 |
| quantitative analysis of filament branch orientation in listeria actin comet tails. | several bacterial and viral pathogens hijack the host actin cytoskeleton machinery to facilitate spread and infection. in particular, listeria uses arp2/3-mediated actin filament nucleation at the bacterial surface to generate a branched network that will help propel the bacteria. however, the mechanism of force generation remains elusive due to the lack of high-resolution three-dimensional structural data on the spatial organization of the actin mother and daughter (i.e., branch) filaments with ... | 2016 | 26497103 |
| dose-dependent early life stage toxicities in xenopus laevis exposed in ovo to selenium. | selenium (se) is a developmental toxicant in oviparous vertebrates. the adverse reproductive effects of se toxicity have been predominantly investigated in fishes and birds with only a few studies focusing on amphibians. the objective of this study was to determine tissue-based toxicity thresholds for early life stage se toxicities in xenopus laevis as a consequence of in ovo exposure through maternal transfer of dietary se. following a 68-day dietary exposure to food augmented with l-selenometh ... | 2015 | 26501870 |
| verapamil-sensitive transport of quinacrine and methylene blue via the plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter reduces the parasite's susceptibility to these tricyclic drugs. | it is becoming increasingly apparent that certain mutations in the plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (pfcrt) alter the parasite's susceptibility to diverse compounds. here we investigated the interaction of pfcrt with 3 tricyclic compounds that have been used to treat malaria (quinacrine [qc] and methylene blue [mb]) or to study p. falciparum (acridine orange [ao]). | 2016 | 26503982 |
| a database of microrna expression patterns in xenopus laevis. | micrornas (mirnas) are short, non-coding rnas around 22 nucleotides long. they inhibit gene expression either by translational repression or by causing the degradation of the mrnas they bind to. many are highly conserved amongst diverse organisms and have restricted spatio-temporal expression patterns during embryonic development where they are thought to be involved in generating accuracy of developmental timing and in supporting cell fate decisions and tissue identity. we determined the expres ... | 2015 | 26506012 |
| up-regulation of intestinal phosphate transporter napi-iib (slc34a2) by the kinases spak and osr1. | spak (sps1-related proline/alanine-rich kinase) and osr1 (oxidative stress-responsive kinase 1), kinases controlled by wnk (with-no-k[lys] kinase), are powerful regulators of cellular ion transport and blood pressure. observations in gene-targeted mice disclosed an impact of spak/osr1 on phosphate metabolism. the present study thus tested whether spak and/or osr1 contributes to the regulation of the intestinal na(+)-coupled phosphate co-transporter napi-iib (slc34a2). | 2015 | 26506223 |
| identification and bioinformatics analyses of the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors in xenopus laevis. | xenopus laevis is a long established model organism for developmental, behavioral and neurological studies. herein, an updated genome-wide survey was conducted using the ongoing genome project of xenopus laevis and 106 non-redundant basic helix-loop-helix (bhlh) genes were identified in the xenopus laevis genome databases. gene ontology (go) enrichment statistics showed 51 significant go annotations of biological processes and molecular functions and 5 significant kegg pathways and a number of x ... | 2015 | 26506645 |
| distribution of single wall carbon nanotubes in the xenopus laevis embryo after microinjection. | single wall carbon nanotubes (swcnts) are advanced materials with the potential for a myriad of diverse applications, including biological technologies and large-scale usage with the potential for environmental impacts. swcnts have been exposed to developing organisms to determine their effects on embryogenesis, and results have been inconsistent arising, in part, from differing material quality, dispersion status, material size, impurity from catalysts and stability. for this study, we utilized ... | 2016 | 26510384 |
| application of local gene induction by infrared laser-mediated microscope and temperature stimulator to amphibian regeneration study. | urodele amphibians (newts and salamanders) and anuran amphibians (frogs) are excellent research models to reveal mechanisms of three-dimensional organ regeneration since they have exceptionally high regenerative capacity among tetrapods. however, the difficulty in manipulating gene expression in cells in a spatially restricted manner has so far hindered elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of organ regeneration in amphibians. recently, local heat shock by laser irradiation has enabled local g ... | 2015 | 26510480 |
| novel reporter for faithful monitoring of erk2 dynamics in living cells and model organisms. | uncoupling of erk1/2 phosphorylation from subcellular localization is essential towards the understanding of molecular mechanisms that control erk1/2-mediated cell-fate decision. erk1/2 non-catalytic functions and discoveries of new specific anchors responsible of the subcellular compartmentalization of erk1/2 signaling pathway have been proposed as regulation mechanisms for which dynamic monitoring of erk1/2 localization is necessary. however, studying the spatiotemporal features of erk2, for i ... | 2015 | 26517832 |
| alternatively spliced isoforms of kv10.1 potassium channels modulate channel properties and can activate cyclin-dependent kinase in xenopus oocytes. | kv10.1 is a voltage-gated potassium channel expressed selectively in the mammalian brain but also aberrantly in cancer cells. in this study we identified short splice variants of kv10.1 resulting from exon-skipping events (e65 and e70) in human brain and cancer cell lines. the presence of the variants was confirmed by northern blot and rnase protection assays. both variants completely lacked the transmembrane domains of the channel and produced cytoplasmic proteins without channel function. in a ... | 2015 | 26518875 |
| monitoring smad activity in vivo using the xenopus model system. | the embryo of the african clawed frog xenopus laevis plays a central role in the field of cell and developmental biology. one of the strengths of xenopus as model system lies in the high degree of conservation between amphibians and mammals in the molecular mechanisms controlling tissue patterning and differentiation. as such, many signaling cascades were first investigated in frog embryos and then confirmed in mouse and/or human cells. the tgf-β signaling cascade greatly benefited from this mod ... | 2016 | 26520129 |
| [role of monocarboxylate transporter in statin-induced cytotoxicity]. | although exercise and drug therapy are important to prevent progression of arteriosclerotic disease, exercise leads to an increase in muscular disorder induced by hmg-coa reductase inhibitors (statins). elucidation of this mechanism is needed to prevent the occurrence of muscular disorders. since exercise induces expression of monocarboxylate transporter (mct) 4, we focused on the association between mct4 function and statin-induced muscle injury. first, we examined the transport of l-lactate vi ... | 2015 | 26521871 |
| affinity of the heparin binding motif of noggin1 to heparan sulfate and its visualization in the embryonic tissues. | heparin binding motifs were found in many secreted proteins and it was suggested that they are responsible for retardation of the protein diffusion within the intercellular space due to the binding to heparan sulfate proteoglycanes (hspg). here we used synthetic fitc labeled heparin binding motif (hbm peptide) of the xenopus laevis secreted bmp inhibitor noggin1 to study its diffusion along the surface of the heparin beads by frap method. as a result, we have found out that diffusivity of hbm-la ... | 2015 | 26525852 |