Suppressing TGFβ signaling in regenerating epithelia in an inflammatory microenvironment is sufficient to cause invasive intestinal cancer.

Genetic alterations in the TGFβ signaling pathway in combination with oncogenic alterations lead to cancer development in the intestines. However, the mechanisms of TGFβ signaling suppression in malignant progression of intestinal tumors have not yet been fully understood. We have examined Apc(Δ716) Tgfbr2(ΔIEC) compound mutant mice that carry mutations in Apc and Tgfbr2 genes in the intestinal epithelial cells.

Enhancement of tongue carcinogenesis in Hras128 transgenic rats treated with 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide.

Transgenic rats carrying human c-Ha-ras proto-oncogene (Hras128 rats) have been shown to be highly susceptible to induction of tumors. We have found an early induction of tongue tumors in Hras128 rats treated with 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO). 4NQO was administered to the Hras128 and wild-type Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats for 4 and 8 weeks, respectively.

Growth inhibitory activity of ethanol extracts of Chinese and Brazilian propolis in four human colon carcinoma cell lines.

More than 300 bio-active compounds have been identified from bee propolis in various regions of the world. The objective of this study was to examine whether the ethanol extracts of Chinese and Brazilian propolis may exert anticancer activities in four human colon carcinoma cell lines, namely CaCo2, HCT116, HT29 and SW480. Propolis samples were extracted with ethanol, and the crude extracts were dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide and used for the experiments.

Characterization of the Kyoto circling (KCI) rat carrying a spontaneous nonsense mutation in the protocadherin 15 (Pcdh15) gene.

Protocadherin-15 (Pcdh15) plays important roles in the morphogenesis and cohesion of stereocilia bundles and in the maintenance of retinal photoreceptor cells. In humans, mutations in PCDH15 cause Usher syndrome type 1F (USH1F) and non-syndromic deafness DFNB23. In mice, repertories of Pcdh15 mutant alleles have been described as Ames waltzer mutations.

[Effort to improve advanced problem-based learning tutorial].

To prepare for the introduction of the advanced problem-based learning (PBL) tutorial for higher-grade students under the six-year pharmacy curriculum, a trial of the tutorial was performed in a fourth-grade class under the former four-year curriculum in 2007. A questionnaire survey conducted to identify any problems in performing the tutorial revealed: 1) the number of students in each group was too large; 2) the contents of presentations seemed to overlap due to the limited number of task cases, which forced more than one group to address a particular case; and 3) the time-line from the day of product presentation to that of periodic examination was too short to hold a sufficient group discussion. In 2008, to resolve these problems: 1) the number of groups was increased to reduce the number of students in each group; 2) new task cases were added to decrease the number of groups addressing a particular case; and 3) an adequate time period was arranged between the days of product presentation and periodic examination.

A set of highly informative rat simple sequence length polymorphism (SSLP) markers and genetically defined rat strains.

Background: The National Bio Resource Project for the Rat in Japan (NBRP-Rat) is focusing on collecting, preserving and distributing various rat strains, including spontaneous mutant, transgenic, congenic, and recombinant inbred (RI) strains. To evaluate their value as models of human diseases, we are characterizing them using 109 phenotypic parameters, such as clinical measurements, internal anatomy, metabolic parameters, and behavioral tests, as part of the Rat Phenome Project. Here, we report on a set of 357 simple sequence length polymorphism (SSLP) markers and 122 rat strains, which were genotyped by the marker set.

Low concentrations of propyzamide and oryzalin alter microtubule dynamics in Arabidopsis epidermal cells.

Previous studies showed that sub-micromolar concentrations of the microtubule-targeting herbicide propyzamide cause a right-handed helical arrangement of cortical microtubule arrays and left-handed twisting in elongating Arabidopsis epidermal cells. When seedlings were grown in the presence of 1-2 microM propyzamide or 50-100 nM oryzalin, we show that microtubules spent more time in a paused state in which they exhibited little net change in length. The drug treatment also resulted in slower growth and shortening velocities, increased catastrophe, and an overall decrease in microtubule turnover.

A semidominant mutation in an Arabidopsis mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-like gene compromises cortical microtubule organization.

Reversible protein phosphorylation regulates many cellular processes, including the dynamics and organization of the microtubule cytoskeleton, but the events mediating it are poorly understood. A semidominant phs1-1 allele of the Arabidopsis thaliana PROPYZAMIDE-HYPERSENSITIVE 1 locus exhibits phenotypes indicative of compromised cortical microtubule functions, such as left-handed helical growth of seedling roots, defective anisotropic growth at low doses of microtubule-destabilizing drugs, enhancement of the temperature-sensitive microtubule organization1-1 phenotype, and less ordered and more fragmented cortical microtubule arrays compared with the wild type. PHS1 encodes a novel protein similar to mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphatases.

Gamma-tubulin distribution during cortical microtubule reorganization at the M/G1 interface in tobacco BY-2 cells.

Cortical microtubules are considered to regulate the direction of cellulose microfibril deposition. Despite their significant role in determining cell morphology, cortical microtubules completely disappear from the cell cortex during M phase and become reorganized at G1 phase. The mechanism by which these microtubules become properly formed again is, however, still unclear.