Oncometabolites in pancreatic cancer: Strategies and its implications.

Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is a catastrophic disease, being third lethal in both the genders around the globe. The possible reasons are extreme disease invasiveness, highly fibrotic and desmoplastic stroma, dearth of confirmatory diagnostic approaches and resistance to chemotherapeutics. This inimitable tumor microenvironment (TME) or desmoplasia with excessive extracellular matrix accumulation, create an extremely hypovascular, hypoxic and nutrient-deficient zone inside the tumor.

Sperm ecto-protein kinase and its protein substrate: novel regulators of membrane fusion during acrosome reaction.

Previously we have purified and characterized a unique plasma membrane-specific cyclic AMP-independent ecto-protein kinase (ecto-CIK) as well as its ecto-phosphoprotein substrate (MPS) using caprine sperm model. This study reports for the first time the role of the sperm external surface protein phosphorylation system on sperm acrosome reaction, which is essential for fertilization. Calcium ionophore A23187 has been used to trigger the sperm acrosome reaction in vitro.

Role of the major ecto-phosphoprotein in sperm flagellar motility using a cell electroporation method.

Previous studies from our laboratory have identified MPS, a 100-kDa protein, as the major phosphoprotein substrate of caprine sperm ecto-cyclic AMP independent protein kinase. In this study the isolated (32)P-labelled MPS has been incorporated into mature caprine (Capra indicus) cauda-epididymal spermatozoa with the help of cell electroporation technique to investigate the effect of MPS on sperm flagellar motility. The optimum conditions for electroporation of sperm cells consisted of exposure of 0.

Cell surface phosphorylation by a novel ecto-protein kinase: a key regulator of cellular functions in spermatozoa.

Since 1976 many studies have been reported on the occurrence and functional significance of ecto-protein kinases in a variety of cell types although their precise biochemical identity is largely unknown. This study reports for the first time purification to apparent homogeneity of an ecto-protein kinase (ecto-CIK) and some of its characteristics using caprine sperm as the cell model. The ecto-CIK is a unique membrane-specific serine/threonine protein kinase.

Identification of goat sperm ecto-cyclic AMP independent protein kinase substrate localized on sperm outer surface.

We have demonstrated the location of a cyclic AMP independent serine/threonine protein kinase (ecto-CIK) on the outer surface of mature goat spermatozoa. We purified and characterized the major physiological protein substrate (MPS) of ecto-CIK. 32P-labeled membrane proteins phosphorylated by endogenous ecto-CIK of intact cauda-epididymal spermatozoa was solubilized with 1% Triton X-100 and then fractionated by following several chromatographic techniques like Sephacryl S-300 molecular sieve chromatography, DEAE-cellulose ion-exchange chromatography and chromatofocussing.