Biofilm formation by a fimbriae-deficient mutant of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans.

Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans strain 310-TR produces fimbriae and forms a tight biofilm in broth cultures, without turbid growth. The fimbriae-deficient mutant 310-DF, constructed in this study, was grown as a relatively fragile biofilm at the bottom of a culture vessel. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that on glass coverslips, 310-TR formed tight and spherical microcolonies, while 310-DF produced looser ones.

Expression pattern of cisplatin-induced metallothionein isoforms in squamous cell carcinoma.

Cisplatin (CDDP) is a useful drug for the treatment of malignant solid tumors of the head and neck. Because CDDP includes the heavy metal platinum as a component, it is thought metallothionein (MT) may be involved in CDDP-resistance. However, functional differences between the four MT isoforms (MT-I, II, III and IV) remain unclear.

Age-related changes in expression of metallothionein-III in rat brain.

Metallothionein (MT)-III is a metal binding protein, called growth inhibitory factor, and is mainly expressed in the central nervous system. Since MT-III decreases in the brain of Alzheimer's disease (AD), a growing interest has been focused on its relationship to neurodegenerative diseases. To clarify age-related changes in the MT-III expression and its inducibility against oxidative stress, we analyzed the expression of MT-III and its mRNA in the brain of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated aged rats.