Publications by authors named "Kentaro Toriumi"

Cell polarity and cell-cell adhesion play a critical role in the regulation of normal tissue architecture and function. Disruption of cell adhesion and cell polarity is often associated with neoplastic tumors. Loss of apical-basal polarity in epithelial cells is one of the hallmarks of aggressive and invasive cancers.

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Polarized hepatocytes contain tight junctions (TJs), which are among the most important junctions for sealing the bile canalicular lumen from the sinusoidal space. Alterations in TJs are implicated in chronic cholestatic liver diseases, such as primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis, which have lipid peroxidation marker elevations or antioxidant vitamin decreases. However, the effect of oxidative stress on hepatocyte polarity or liver morphology is unknown.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examines the differences in keratin isoform expression and Notch signaling in normal versus psoriatic skin.
  • In normal skin, K14 is found in the basal layer, while K10 is in the suprabasal layer, with Notch signaling being crucial for keratinocyte differentiation.
  • In psoriatic skin, K14 is abnormally expressed throughout the epidermis, and there is a decrease in Notch isoforms, which may contribute to improper differentiation of epidermal cells.
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Atypical protein kinase C lambda/iota (aPKC λ/ι) is expressed in several human cancers; however, the correlation between aPKC λ/ι localization and cancer progression in human lung adenocarcinoma (LAC) remains to be clarified. We found that patients with a high level of aPKC λ/ι expression in LAC had significantly shorter overall survival than those with a low level of aPKC λ/ι expression. In addition, localization of aPKC λ/ι in the apical membrane or at the cell-cell contact was associated with both lymphatic invasion and metastasis.

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Protein kinase C (PKC) participates in signal transduction, and its overactivation is involved in various types of cell injury. PKC depends on diacylglycerol (DAG) for its activation in vivo We have previously reported that DAG peroxides (DAG-O(O)H) activate PKC in vitro more strongly than unoxidized DAG, suggesting that DAG-O(O)H, if generated in vivo under oxidative stress, would act as an aberrant signal transducer. The present study examined whether DAG-O(O)H are formed in carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4))-induced acute rat liver injury in association with activation of the PKC/nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathway.

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A cystic lesion of the pancreas was detected in a 25-year-old asymptomatic woman during a company medical checkup. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed an ossified lesion in the pancreatic body, and the patient was referred to us for further management. Abdominal ultrasound and endoscopic ultrasound showed a hypoechoic mass with a large ossific focus, measuring 25 mm in the pancreatic body.

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