L1 cell adhesion molecule is a novel therapeutic target in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Purpose: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), a highly malignant hepatobiliary cancer, has a poor prognosis and is refractory to conventional therapies. The aim of this study is to discover a novel molecular target for the treatment of ICC.

Experimental Design: To discover novel cancer-associated membrane antigens expressed in ICC cells, we generated monoclonal antibodies (mAb) by immunizing mice with intact ICC cell lines and screened for those that bind to the plasma membrane of ICC cells but not to normal cells.

Comparison of cytokine expression in mesenchymal stem cells from human placenta, cord blood, and bone marrow.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are capable of self-renewal and differentiation into lineages of mesenchymal tissues that are currently under investigation for a variety of therapeutic applications. The purpose of this study was to compare cytokine gene expression in MSCs from human placenta, cord blood (CB) and bone marrow (BM). The cytokine expression profiles of MSCs from BM, CB and placenta (amnion, decidua) were compared by proteome profiler array analysis.

The cell wall of Micromonospora purpurea contains a high conductance channel.

In this communication it is demonstrated that the cell wall of the gram-positive bacterium Micromonospora purpurea contains a cell wall channel for the passage of hydrophilic solutes. The channel-forming protein was identified in sucrose step-density-gradient fractions of the cell envelope and in whole cell extracts using either organic solvent or detergent and the lipid bilayer technique. The fractions of the sucrose step-density centrifugation were assayed for NADH-oxidase activity and for the formation of ion-permeable channels in lipid bilayers.