Gelsemine, a principal alkaloid from Gelsemium sempervirens Ait., exhibits potent and specific antinociception in chronic pain by acting at spinal α3 glycine receptors.

The present study examined the antinociceptive effects of gelsemine, the principal alkaloid in Gelsemium sempervirens Ait. A single intrathecal injection of gelsemine produced potent and specific antinociception in formalin-induced tonic pain, bone cancer-induced mechanical allodynia, and spinal nerve ligation-induced painful neuropathy. The antinociception was dose-dependent, with maximal inhibition of 50% to 60% and ED50 values of 0.

Establishment and characterization of RNA-edited serotonin 2C receptor isoform cell models and alteration of amyloid precursor protein ectodomain secretion in HEK293 APPSwe cells.

RNA editing is a mechanism for generating molecular diversity by altering the genetic code at the level of RNA. The 5-HT(2C) receptor is the only G protein-coupled receptor known to be edited. It has been reported that the non-edited 5-HT(2C) receptor stimulates secretion of the APP metabolite APP ectodomain (APPs).

Nicotine decreases beta-amyloid through regulating BACE1 transcription in SH-EP1-α4β2 nAChR-APP695 cells.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the elderly population. Deposition of beta-amyloid (Aβ) in the brain is a hallmark of AD pathology. In our previous study, we have constructed a cell line expressing human APP695 (hAPP695) in SH-EP1 cells stably transfected with human nicotinic receptor (nAChR) α4 subunit and β2 subunit gene.

Panaxydol inhibits the proliferation and induces the differentiation of human hepatocarcinoma cell line HepG2.

Panaxydol, a polyacetylene compound isolated from Panax ginseng, exerts anti-proliferative effects against malignant cells. No previous study, however, has been reported on its effects on hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Here, we investigated the effects of panaxydol on the proliferation and differentiation of human hepatocarcinoma cell line HepG2.

Expression, purification, and characterization of a novel soluble form of human Delta-like-1.

The notch signaling pathway plays an important role in inhibiting cell differentiation and enhancing the repopulation capability of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. In this study, we developed rhDSL, a novel soluble form of Notch ligand Delta-like-1, which contains the DSL domain and the N-terminal sequence of the ligand, and investigated its function in ex vivo expansion of human umbilical cord blood (UCB)-primitive hematopoietic cells. The coding sequence for rhDSL was cloned into a pQE30 vector, and the recombinant rhDSL, fused with a 6x His tag, was expressed in Escherichia coli as inclusion bodies after isopropyl beta-D-thiogalactoside induction.

Isolation and characterization of ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1-domain containing 1, UBE1DC1.

Ubiquitin and other ubiquitin-like proteins play important roles in post-translational modification. They are phylogenetically well-conserved in eukaryotes. Activated by other proteins, ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins can covalently modify target proteins.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a novel adenylate kinase 3 gene from Clonorchis sinensis.

Adenylate kinase (AK) is a ubiquitous enzyme that contributes to the homeostasis of adenine nucleotides in living cells. AK catalyzes reversible high energy phosphoryl transfer reactions between ATP (or GTP) and AMP to generate ADP (or GDP). From a Clonorchis sinensis adult worm cDNA library, we isolated a cDNA clone encoding a novel AK3 isozyme.

Molecular cloning and characterization of cDNA encoding a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme from Clonorchis sinensis.

The ubiquitin-proteasome system is an essential mechanism for protein degradation in eukaryotes. Protein ubiquitination is composed of a series of enzymatic reactions. The ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2) is one of the important enzymes involved in the process.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a novel human kinase gene, PDIK1L.

We isolated a 4301-bp cDNA from a human foetal brain cDNA library by high-throughput cDNA sequencing. It encodes a protein of 341 amino acids, which shows 69% identity with the human kinase CLIK1 (AAL99353), which was suggested to be the CLP-36 interacting kinase. Bioinformatics analysis suggests that the putative kinase may interact with PDZ and LIM domain proteins.

Molecular cloning and characterization of the protein 4.1O gene, a novel member of the protein 4.1 family with focal expression in ovary.

Protein 4.1 is an important structural protein that is expressed in erythroid and in a variety of nonerythroid tissues. In mammalian erythrocytes, it plays a key role in regulating the physical properties of mechanical stability and deformability in membranes by stabilizing the spectrin-actin interaction.

Isolation and characterization of a novel human NM23-H1B gene, a different transcript of NM23-H1.

The NM23 gene is a conspicuous metastasis-suppressor gene. Eight human genes of the NM23/nucleoside diphosphate kinase family have been discovered. From our large cDNA cloning and sequencing project, we cloned a different transcript ( NM23-H1B) of human NM23-H1 from 18-week-old human fetal brain.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a novel human protein phosphatase, LMW-DSP3.

Reversible phosphorylation is recognized to be a major mechanism for the control of intracellular events in eukaryotic cells. From a human fetal brain cDNA library, we isolated a cDNA clone encoding a novel dual specificity protein phosphatase, which showed 88% identity with previously reported mouse LMW-DSP3 at the amino acid level. The deduced protein had a single dual-specificity phosphatase catalytic domain, and lacked a cdc25 homology domain.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a novel human Rab ( Rab2B) gene.

Rab proteins are small-molecular-weight guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) that control vesicular traffic in eukaryotic cells. The small GTPase Rab2 is a resident of pre-Golgi intermediates and is required for protein transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi complex. We identified a novel human Rab (Rab2B) gene that was 2312 bp in length and encoded a protein of 216 amino acid residues.

Cloning, chromosome localization and features of a novel human gene, MATH2.

We report cloning and some features of a novel human gene, MATH2, which encodes a protein of 337 amino acid residues with a basic helix loop helix domain and exhibits 98% similarity to mouse Math2. Results of Northern blot analysis revealed two transcripts of the MATH2 gene of 1.7 kb and 2.

cDNA cloning and expression analysis of a novel human F-box only protein.

F-box proteins are an expanding family of eukaryotic proteins that are characterized by an approximately 40 amino acid motif. Some F-box proteins are critical for the controlled degradation of cellular regulatory proteins. During a large-scale sequencing analysis of a human fetal brain cDNA library, we isolated a cDNA clone that encodes a novel F-box protein.

Molecular cloning, mapping and characterization of a human CK1gamma1 gene.

We isolated and sequenced a cDNA clone coding a human protein kinase CK1 (casein kinase 1) by screening a human fetal brain cDNA library. This new cDNA clone of 1756 bp contained an open reading frame, encoding a protein of 438 amino acids with a molecular weight of 50,272 Da and an isoelectric point of 9.37.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a novel human cAMP response element-binding ( CREB) gene ( CREB4).

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response element-binding (CREB) proteins are a family of mammalian transcription activators. We identified a novel human CREB gene ( CREB4) that was 1592 bp long and encoded a protein of 395 amino acid residues. The protein shared high homology to mouse CREB3 (identity 62%, similarity 72%).