Rho-mediated regulation of tight junctions during monocyte migration across the blood-brain barrier in HIV-1 encephalitis (HIVE).

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is compromised during progressive HIV-1 infection, but how this occurs is incompletely understood. We studied the integrity of tight junctions (TJs) of brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMVECs) in an in vitro BBB system and in human brain tissues with HIV-1 encephalitis (HIVE). A downregulation of TJ proteins, claudin-5 and occludin, paralleled monocyte migration into the brain during HIVE.

Amyloid precursor protein-processing products affect mononuclear phagocyte activation: pathways for sAPP- and Abeta-mediated neurotoxicity.

Increasing evidence strongly supports the role of glial immunity in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). To investigate such events we have developed cell systems mimicking the interactions between beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP)-expressing neurons and brain mononuclear phagocytes (MP; macrophages and microglia). MP were co-cultured with neuronal cells expressing wild type APP or familial AD-linked APP mutants.

C1q-calreticulin induced oxidative neurotoxicity: relevance for the neuropathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains one of the most challenging brain disorders facing modern medicine. Neuronal loss underlies the pathogenesis of AD and can occur, in part, by oxidative stress, by beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta), and by excitotoxins. The complement cascade, especially C1q, may affect reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mediate neuronal injury during AD.

Transduction of bovine adrenal chromaffin cells using a recombinant adenovirus expressing GFP.

Insertion of genetic material into bovine chromaffin cells employing various techniques have produced low to moderate transduction rates. Recent technology using adenoviral gene transfer has become one of the most powerful methods for introducing genes into mammalian cells. We examined whether a recombinant adenovirus could provide a convenient vector to transfer genes of interest for mechanistic studies on chromaffin cells.