Publications by authors named "E G Barbacci"

Unlabelled: New treatments are needed for extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Gram-negative bacilli (GNB), such as Acinetobacter baumannii. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) was previously reported to enhance bacterial clearance of GNB, including A. baumannii.

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Heterozygous mutations in the human POU-homeobox TCF2 (vHNF1, HNF1beta) gene are associated with maturity-onset diabetes of the young, type 5, and abnormal urogenital tract development. Recently, pancreas atrophies have been reported in several maturity-onset diabetes of the young type 5 patients, suggesting that TCF2 is required not only for adult pancreas function but also for its normal development. Tcf2-deficient mice die before gastrulation because of defective visceral endoderm formation.

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Mutations in the HNF1beta gene, encoding the dimeric POU-homeodomain transcription factor HNF1beta (TCF2 or vHNF1), cause various phenotypes including maturity onset diabetes of the young 5 (MODY5), and abnormalities in kidney, pancreas and genital tract development. To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying these phenotypes and into the structure of HNF1beta, we functionally characterized eight disease-causing mutations predicted to produce protein truncations, amino acids substitutions or frameshift deletions in different domains of the protein. Truncated mutations, retaining the dimerization domain, displayed defective nuclear localization and weak dominant-negative activity when co-expressed with the wild-type protein.

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Aberrant expression or activity of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr) or the closely related p185(erbB2) can promote cell proliferation and survival and thereby contribute to tumorigenesis. Specific antibodies and low molecular-weight tyrosine kinase inhibitors of both proteins are in clinical trials for cancer treatment. CP-654577 is a potent inhibitor selective for p185(erbB2), relative to EGFr tyrosine kinase, and selectively reduces erbB2 autophosphorylation in intact cells.

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Phosphorylation of tyrosine residues on the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFr) is an important early event in signal transduction, leading to cell replication for major human carcinomas. CP-358,774 is a potent and selective inhibitor of the EGFr tyrosine kinase and produces selective inhibition of EGF-mediated tumor cell mitogenesis. To assess the pharmacodynamic aspects of EGFr inhibition, we devised an ex vivo enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for quantification of EGFr-specific tyrosine phosphorylation in human tumor tissue specimens obtained from xenografts growing s.

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