Expression of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in human and murine osteoblast-like cells.

The preservation of bone mass relies on adequate proliferation, differentiation, secretion of matrix proteins and rate of apoptosis of the bone-forming osteoblasts. Although growing body of evidence indicates that the transient receptor potential (TRP) channels play important roles in numerous cellular functions, limited information is available about the TRP channels in osteoblasts. Here, we inventoried the gene expression and addressed some roles of the TRP channels in various osteoblast-like cells.

Silencing of the MT1-MMP/ G6PT axis suppresses calcium mobilization by sphingosine-1-phosphate in glioblastoma cells.

The contributions of membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) and of the glucose-6-phosphate transporter (G6PT) in sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)-mediated Ca(2+) mobilization were assessed in glioblastoma cells. We show that gene silencing of MT1-MMP or G6PT decreased the extent of S1P-induced Ca(2+) mobilization, chemotaxis, and extracellular signal-related kinase phosphorylation. Chlorogenic acid and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, two diet-derived inhibitors of G6PT and of MT1-MMP, respectively, reduced S1P-mediated Ca(2+) mobilization.

The antiangiogenic agent Neovastat (AE-941) stimulates tissue plasminogen activator activity.

The plasminogen activator/plasmin system represents a key component of the proteolytic machinery underlying angiogenesis. In this work, we investigated the effect of Neovastat (AE-941), a naturally occurring multifunctional antiangiogenic agent that is currently in Phase III clinical trials, on tissue and urokinase plasminogen activator activities. We found that in vitro, Neovastat at 100 microg/ml markedly stimulates t-PA-mediated plasmin generation, while it slightly inhibits the generation of plasmin mediated by uPA.