S100A1's single cysteine is an indispensable redox switch for the protection against diastolic calcium waves in cardiomyocytes.

The EF-hand calcium (Ca) sensor protein S100A1 combines inotropic with antiarrhythmic potency in cardiomyocytes (CMs). Oxidative posttranslational modification (ox-PTM) of S100A1's conserved, single-cysteine residue (C85) via reactive nitrogen species (i.e.

Serum Response Factor (SRF) Drives the Transcriptional Upregulation of the MDM4 Oncogene in HCC.

Different molecular mechanisms support the overexpression of the mouse double minute homolog 4 (MDM4), a functional p53 inhibitor, in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the transcription factors (TFs) leading to its transcriptional upregulation remain unknown. Following promoter and gene expression analyses, putative TFs were investigated using gene-specific siRNAs, cDNAs, luciferase reporter assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and XI-011 drug treatment in vitro.

Expression, delivery and function of insecticidal proteins expressed by recombinant baculoviruses.

Since the development of methods for inserting and expressing genes in baculoviruses, a line of research has focused on developing recombinant baculoviruses that express insecticidal peptides and proteins. These recombinant viruses have been engineered with the goal of improving their pesticidal potential by shortening the time required for infection to kill or incapacitate insect pests and reducing the quantity of crop damage as a consequence. A wide variety of neurotoxic peptides, proteins that regulate insect physiology, degradative enzymes, and other potentially insecticidal proteins have been evaluated for their capacity to reduce the survival time of baculovirus-infected lepidopteran host larvae.

On-plant selection and genetic analysis of European corn borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) behavioral traits: plant abandonment versus plant establishment.

Although some studies have investigated how insect behavior could influence resistance evolution to transgenic plants, none have determined if behavioral traits respond to selection pressure and how they may be inherited. We investigated plant establishment and abandonment traits for the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalisi (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), by conducting a laboratory selection experiment and quantifying patterns of gene expression. Egg masses with emerging larvae were placed on maize plants and silking individuals were collected every 15 min during a 4-h period to generate a plant abandonment (PA) colony.

Identification and characterization of the pyrokinin/pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide family of G protein-coupled receptors from Ostrinia nubilalis.

Insects have two closely related G protein-coupled receptors belonging to the pyrokinin/pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (pyrokinin/PBAN) family, one with the ligand PBAN or pyrokinin-2 and another with diapause hormone or pyrokinin-1 as a ligand. A related receptor is activated by products of the capa gene, periviscerokinins. Here we characterized the PBAN receptor and the diapause hormone receptor from the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis.