Spontaneous renal artery dissection complicating with renal infarction.

Spontaneous renal artery dissection (SRAD) is a rare entity. We reported a 30-year-old healthy man presenting with sudden onset of left flank pain. Abdominal plain film and sonography were unremarkable.

TNF-alpha mediates eosinophil cationic protein-induced apoptosis in BEAS-2B cells.

Background: Eosinophilic granulocytes are important for the human immune system. Many cationic proteins with cytotoxic activities, such as eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN), are released from activated eosinophils. ECP, with low RNase activity, is widely used as a biomarker for asthma.

Control mechanisms of differential translation of Hsp90 isoforms in 9L rat gliosarcoma cells.

Although the differential expression of heat shcok proteins, Hsp90alpha and Hsp90beta was extensively studied in many kinds of cells, the post-transcriptional regulation of Hsp90 isoforms remains unclear. In control and GA-treated rat gliosarcoma cells, it has been reported that the translational efficiency of hsp90alpha is higher than hsp90beta. In this study, we present evidences identifying the roles for leaky scanning and 5'-UTR sequence in translational regulation of Hsp90beta.

Concerted actions of multiple transcription elements confer differential transactivation of HSP90 isoforms in geldanamycin-treated 9L rat gliosarcoma cells.

HSP90 chaperones are transducer proteins of many signaling pathways in cells. Using a highly specific inhibitor, geldanamycin (GA), an increasing number of the HSP90 client proteins have been identified. Nevertheless, there is little information on the differential transactivation of the two isoforms of the hsp90 genes, hsp90alpha and beta, in cells under stress conditions.

Localization of GRP78 to mitochondria under the unfolded protein response.

The ubiquitously expressed molecular chaperone GRP78 (78 kDa glucose-regulated protein) generally localizes to the ER (endoplasmic reticulum). GRP78 is specifically induced in cells under the UPR (unfolded protein response), which can be elicited by treatments with calcium ionophore A23187 and sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor TG (thapsigargin). By using confocal microscopy, we have demonstrated that GRP78 was concentrated in the perinuclear region and co-localized with the ER marker proteins, calnexin and PDI (protein disulphide-isomerase), in cells under normal growth conditions.

Involvement of calcium in the differential induction of heat shock protein 70 by heat shock protein 90 inhibitors, geldanamycin and radicicol, in human non-small cell lung cancer H460 cells.

Both geldanamycin (GA) and radicicol (RA) are HSP90 binding agents that possess antitumour activities. Although the in vitro data indicated that the inhibitory constant of RA is much bigger than that of GA, the in vivo data on drug efficacy might reveal different results. We have recently shown that treatment with GA induces a heat-shock response and that calcium mobilization may be involved in the process.