Polarization optical-histochemical characterization and supramolecular structure of carbohydrate fibrils.

Topo-optical staining reactions were used to investigate the structures of bacterial cellulose, insect chitosan and alginic acid from brown algae. Polysaccharide complexes, glycosaminoglycans and sulfate groups were presented and demonstrated selectively. Chitosan and alginic acid are structurally similar to glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), which are constituents of human amyloid fibrils.

Inhibin-betaC subunit expression in normal and pathological human placental tissues.

Inhibins and activins are important regulators of the female reproductive system. Recently, a novel inhibin betaC subunit has been identified. However, only limited data on the expression of this novel inhibin-betaC subunit in normal and pathological human placentas exist.

Inhibin/activin-betaC subunit in human endometrial adenocarcinomas and HEC-1a adenocarcinoma cell line.

Introduction: Inhibins and activins are important regulators of the female reproductive system. Recently, two novel inhibin subunits, named betaC (βC) and betaE (βE), have been identified. However, only limited data on the expression of the βC subunit in human endometrioid adenocarcinomas exist.

The metastasis-associated gene MTA3 is downregulated in advanced endometrioid adenocarcinomas.

The metastasis-associated gene MTA3 has an important function in invasion and metastasis of human cancer cells. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the expression of this protein in endometrial adenocarcinomas and to analyse potential correlations between this nuclear transcription factor and estrogen receptors in endometrial adenocarcinomas. Additionally, we evaluated whether MTA3 might be a prognostic parameter in endometrioid adenocarcinomas.

Confocal fluorescence detected linear dichroism imaging of isolated human amyloid fibrils. Role of supercoiling.

Amyloids are highly organized insoluble protein aggregates that are associated with a large variety of degenerative diseases. In this work, we investigated the anisotropic architecture of isolated human amyloid samples stained with Congo Red. This was performed by fluorescence detected linear dichroism (FDLD) imaging in a laser scanning confocal microscope that was equipped with a differential polarization attachment using high frequency modulation of the polarization state of the laser beam and a demodulation circuit.

Immunohistochemical labeling of the inhibin/activin betaC subunit in normal human placental tissue and chorionic carcinoma cell lines.

Inhibins and activins are important regulators of the female reproductive system. A novel inhibin subunit, named betaC, has been identified and demonstrated to be expressed in several human tissues. We demonstrate here that inhibin betaC is expressed in human placenta.

Inhibin/activin-betaE subunit is expressed in normal and pathological human placental tissue including chorionic carcinoma cell lines.

Background: Inhibins and activins are important regulators of the female reproductive system. Recently, a novel inhibin subunit, named betaE, has been identified and shown to be expressed in several human tissues. However, only limited data on the expression of this novel inhibin-betaE subunit in normal and pathological human placenta as well as and human chorionic carcinoma cell lines exist.

Inhibin/activin-betaC and -betaE subunits in the Ishikawa human endometrial adenocarcinoma cell line.

Background: Inhibins and activins are important regulators of the female reproductive system. Recently, two novel inhibin subunits, named betaC and betaE, have been identified and shown to be expressed in several human tissues. However, only limited data on the expression of these novel inhibin subunits in normal human endometrial tissue and endometrial adenocarcinoma cell lines exist.

The metastasis-associated genes MTA1 and MTA3 are abundantly expressed in human placenta and chorionic carcinoma cells.

Normal placenta development relies on the ability of trophoblast cells to invade into the uterus and to build up an extensively vascularized feto-maternal tissue, necessary for the nutrition of the embryo. The ability of cell migration, invasion, and the ability to induce neovascularization are likewise hallmarks of cancer cells. The metastasis-associated genes MTA1 and MTA3 are known to be involved in cancer cell migration by regulation of cell adhesion proteins and to induce the expression of neoangiogenic cytokines, as recently shown by us for ovarian cancer cells.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma in normal human pregnancy and miscarriage.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) belong to the superfamily of nuclear hormone receptors. Recent investigations emphasize a possible involvement of PPAR in obstetric and gynaecologic disorders like polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis and preeclampsia. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and distribution of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) in normal human pregnancy and miscarriage.

Invasive hydatidiform mole: immunohistochemical labelling of inhibin/activin subunits, Ki67, p53 and glycodelin A in a rare case.

Invasive trophoblastic mole is an extremely rare condition. Its early recognition is essential since it can transform into an invasive type of tumour. Immunohistochemistry was performed with monoclonal antibodies against inhibin-alpha, -betaA and -betaB, Ki67, p53 and glycodelin A in a rare case of accidentally diagnosed invasive trophoblastic mole.

Topo-optical reactions for the identification of O-acyl sugars in amyloid deposits.

The aldehyde bisulfite toluidine blue (ABT) reaction with former saponification (KOH-ABT) and periodic acid-borohydride reduction-saponification (PB-KOH-ABT) were applied to sections of human amyloid deposits in the respiratory tract. The saponification-induced increase in ABT-reactivity was confined to the presence of O-acyl sugars associated with the amyloid fibrils. The anisotropic and metachromatic effect in the ABT and KOH-ABT reaction was reduced in the corresponding PB-KOH-ABT reaction, a difference attributed to the removal of staining due to neutral carbohydrate residues.

Development and characterisation of an antibody for the immunohistochemical detection of inhibin/activin betaE (betaE) in normal human ovarian and placental tissue.

Inhibin/activin subunits are homologues to each other and belong to the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) family of proteins. These proteins have been demonstrated to be disulphide-linked dimers, which have a common alpha-subunit but just one of two beta-subunits, differentiated in inhibin A (alpha-betaA) and in inhibin B (alpha-betaB). Recently, an additional beta-subunit has been identified, determined as betaE and being primarily synthesized in liver tissue.

Immunohistochemical labelling of steroid receptors in normal and malignant human endometrium.

For several years it was generally believed that only a single estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) existed. However, the discovery of a new ER (ERbeta) with specificity for estrogens has induced new insights in the estrogen signalling system. Moreover, PR is expressed as two major isoforms, PR-A and PR-B that arise from alternative transcriptional starting sites within the same gene.

The relevance of the aldehyde bisulfite toluidine blue reaction and its variants in the submicroscopic carbohydrate research.

Carbohydrates are chemical compounds that contain only oxygen, hydrogen and carbon. They are classified by their number of sugar units: monosaccharides (such as glucose and fructose), and disaccharides (such as sucrose and lactose) are simple carbohydrates; oligosaccharides and polysaccharides (such as starch, glycogen and cellulose) are complex carbohydrates. Carbohydrates play a crucial role in diverse biological systems [Hricovín M.

Interaction of tomato lectin with ABC transporter in cancer cells: glycosylation confers functional conformation of P-gp.

Phospho-glycoprotein (P-gp) is a polytopic plasma membrane protein whose overexpression causes multidrug resistance (MDR) responsible for the failure of cancer chemotherapy. P-gp 170 is a member of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily and has two potentially interesting regions for drugs interfering with its efflux function, namely the oligosaccharides on the first extracellular loop with unknown function and the two intracellular ATP-binding regions providing the energy for drug efflux function. The polylactoseamine oligosaccharides on the first loop can specifically bind the tomato lectin (TL).

Inhibin/activin subunits are immunohistochemically expressed in complete and partial hydatidiform moles.

Background And Aim: Inhibins are dimeric glycoproteins, belonging to the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) family, composed of an alpha-subunit (INH-alpha) and one of two possible beta-subunits (betaA or betaB). Additionally two further beta-subunits (betaC and betaE) have been cloned, although their function remains still quite unclear. The detection by immunohistochemistry of inhibin/activin subunits has been proposed as a useful marker of trophoblastic diseases.

Amyloid contained in the knee joint meniscus is formed from apolipoprotein A-I.

Objective: To determine the chemical nature of amyloid deposits found in knee joint menisci.

Methods: Amyloid was extracted from the menisci of 3 adults who underwent knee joint replacement surgery. The primary structural features of the purified proteins were determined by sequential Edman degradation and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS).

Topooptical investigations and enzymatic digestions on tissue-isolated amyloid fibrils.

Chemical and biochemical analysis of isolated amyloid fibrils reveals the presence of different classes of proteins which are often related to distinct clinical forms of amyloidosis and are useful to classify the amyloid deposits. In this study, enzymatic digestions using hyaluronidase, chondroitinase AC and B, neuraminidase, and chemical extractions using mild acid hydrolysis with hydrochloric and sulfuric acid, were used to control the specificity of various topooptical reactions. The disappearance of intense staining after these extraction methods indicates that tissue-isolated amyloid fibrils contain sialic acids and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs).

Sensitivity and specificity of Congo red staining according to Romhányi. Comparison with Puchtler's or Bennhold's methods.

The sensitivity and specificity of various Congo red staining methods is very important in the diagnosis of amyloidosis. When using a less sensitive staining method, some true positive cases of amyloidosis remain undetected. A more highly specific method potentially detects more cases and reveals amyloidosis in an earlier stage of deposition.