Analysis and optimization of nutritional set-up for murine pancreatic acinar cells.

Context: Pancreatic acinar cell cultivation poses a serious problem due to limitations in the in vitro survival time despite variations of dissociation protocols, culture media and nutrient supplements.

Objective: To establish a long term culture of murine pancreatic acinar cells which retain their viability, monolayer formation and responsiveness to secretagogues. In order to investigate the mechanism of the short-life of acinar cells studied in vitro, we studied their survival under the influence of different supplements on nutrient media.

Selective cytotoxicity of MIA Pa Ca-2 conditioned medium to acinar cells: a novel approach to reduce acinar cell contaminants in isolated islet preparations from BALB/c mice.

Contamination of acinar cells in islet preparations has been shown to affect islet viability, functionality and yield adversely. Therefore, a strategy which would reduce acinar contamination in islet preparations is much sought. We here demonstrate selective cytotoxicity of conditioned medium (CM) of MIA Pa Ca-2 (human pancreatic carcinoma) cells to acinar cells and suitability of this approach as a simple method of obtaining a pure islet population without affecting their viability and yield.

Functional knockout of the corepressor CtBP by the second exon of adenovirus E1a relieves repression of transcription.

The C-terminal binding protein (CtBP) acts as a transcriptional corepressor upon recruitment to transcriptional regulators. In contrast, interaction between CtBP and the adenovirus E1A protein is required for efficient activation of E1A-responsive genes, suggesting that E1A might block CtBP-mediated repression. Recruitment of CtBP to a promoter, either as a Gal4CtBP fusion or through an interaction with a Gal4 fusion protein expressing the CtBP interacting domain (CID) of E1A, resulted in transcriptional repression.

Combined effect of nicotinamide and streptozotocin on diabetic status in partially pancreatectomized adult BALB/c mice.

Pancreatic regeneration after pancreatectomy has been well documented in the animal models. We have recently reported that STZ diabetic animals operated for partial pancreatectomy showed normoglycemic status after the operation as compared to uncontrolled hyperglycemia and even death in the diabetic sham operated animals. In drug and virus-induced experimental diabetic models there is a high mortality of animals due to uncontrolled destruction of the beta-cells.

The Arabidopsis COMATOSE locus regulates germination potential.

Mutation of the COMATOSE locus in Arabidopsis results in a marked reduction in germination potential. Whilst the morphology of comatose (cts) embryos is not altered, physiological analysis reveals that mature cts seeds do not respond to gibberellin. Prolonged chilling of imbibed seeds only partially restores germination potential, and seeds do not after ripen.

Bio-artificial liver from cultured human foetal hepatocytes: feasibility and prospects.

Background: Conventional therapy for acute liver failure has not been able to improve survival beyond 40%. Apart from liver transplantation, the most promising development in this field is the utilization of cultured hepatocytes to make 'bio-artificial liver support systems' as a 'bridge to transplantation' or ideally as a 'bridge to total recovery'. This study examines the feasibility of culturing foetal hepatocytes without the use of growth factors and formulating a bio-artificial liver support device in our set-up.

Interactions of the developmental regulator ABI3 with proteins identified from developing Arabidopsis seeds.

The ABI3 locus is a major regulator of embryo development in Arabidopsis and is essential for the simultaneous activation of the maturation pathway, as well as repression of germination and seedling development. We used a two-hybrid screen in yeast in order to identify proteins that interact with ABI3. Four ABI3-interacting proteins (AIPs) were identified which showed specific in vivo and in vitro interactions with the C-terminal region of ABI3 that contains the B2 and B3 domains, previously shown to have DNA binding activity.

Identification and analysis of proteins that interact with the Avena fatua homologue of the maize transcription factor VIVIPAROUS 1.

The Avena fatua (wild oat) homologue of VIVIPAROUS 1 (AfVP1) has been implicated in controlling the maintenance of embryo dormancy in mature imbibed seeds, but the detailed mechanisms by which this transcription factor family activates embryo maturation pathways and simultaneously represses germination are not known. A two-hybrid screen in yeast identified three proteins that interacted specifically with AfVP1 (AfVP1 interacting proteins; AfVIPs). AfVIPs 2 and 3 interacted with the C-terminus of AfVP1, which contains the B2 + B3 domains, previously shown to bind DNA, whereas AfVIP1 interacted with the isolated B3 domain.

Molecular analysis of two functional homologues of the S3 allele of the Papaver rhoeas self-incompatibility gene isolated from different populations.

The S3 allele of the S gene has been cloned from Papaver rhoeas cv. Shirley. The sequence predicts a hydrophilic protein of 14.