Comparative characterization of direct and indirect substrate probes for on-chip transamidating activity assay of transglutaminases.

The development of molecular probes is a prerequisite for activity-based protein profiling. This strategy helps in characterizing the catalytic activity and function of proteins, and how these proteins and protein complexes control biological processes of interest. These probes are composed of a reactive functional group and a reporter tag.

Propofol and aminophylline antagonize each other during the mobilization of intracellular calcium in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

This study examined whether propofol and aminophylline affect the mobilization of intracellular calcium in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Intracellular calcium was measured using laser scanning confocal microscopy. Cultured and serum-starved cells on round coverslips were incubated with propofol or aminophylline for 30 min, and then stimulated with lysophosphatidic acid, propofol and aminophylline.

Antitumor effect of photodynamic therapy with chlorin-based photosensitizer DH-II-24 in colorectal carcinoma.

While photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been recognized as a promising therapeutic modality for the treatment of various cancers and diseases, developments of effective photosensitizers are highly desired to improve the prospect for the use of PDT. In this study, we evaluated DH-II-24, a new photosensitizer, for antitumor PDT in vitro and in vivo. Loaded into human colorectal carcinoma cells (HCT116), DH-II-24 was primarily accumulated in mitochondria, lysosomes, and endoplasmic reticula.