Acu-URO17 is a highly sensitive and specific bladder cancer biomarker.

Objective: This study evaluates the efficacy of Acu-URO17, a highly sensitive and specific immunocytochemistry (ICC) test targeting Keratin 17, in comparison to urine cytology and UroVysion™ fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for detecting bladder cancer cells in voided urine specimens.

Methods: Acupath conducted a large-scale comparison study using 2378 voided urine specimens. Acu-URO17, urine cytology and UroVysion™ FISH were performed on these specimens according to standardized protocols.

HCFC1 variants in the proteolysis domain are associated with X-linked idiopathic partial epilepsy: Exploring the underlying mechanism.

Background: HCFC1 encodes transcriptional co-regulator HCF-1, which undergoes an unusual proteolytic maturation at a centrally located proteolysis domain. HCFC1 variants were associated with X-linked cobalamin metabolism disorders and mental retardation-3. This study aimed to explore the role of HCFC1 variants in common epilepsy and the mechanism underlying phenotype heterogeneity.

Acrylamide-induced carcinogenicity in mouse lung involves mutagenicity: cII gene mutations in the lung of big blue mice exposed to acrylamide and glycidamide for up to 4 weeks.

Potential health risks for humans from exposure to acrylamide (AA) and its epoxide metabolite glycidamide (GA) have garnered much attention lately because substantial amounts of AA are present in a variety of fried and baked starchy foods. AA is tumorigenic in rodents, and a large number of in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that AA is genotoxic. A recent cancer bioassay on AA demonstrated that the lung was one of the target organs for tumor induction in mice; however, the mutagenicity of AA in this tissue is unclear.

Suppression of chemotaxis by SSeCKS via scaffolding of phosphoinositol phosphates and the recruitment of the Cdc42 GEF, Frabin, to the leading edge.

Chemotaxis is controlled by interactions between receptors, Rho-family GTPases, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases, and cytoskeleton remodeling proteins. We investigated how the metastasis suppressor, SSeCKS, attenuates chemotaxis. Chemotaxis activity inversely correlated with SSeCKS levels in mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEF), DU145 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells.

Cytotoxicity and inhibitory effects of low-concentration triclosan on adipogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells.

Humans at all ages are continually exposed to triclosan (TCS), a widely used antimicrobial agent that can be found in many daily hygiene products, such as toothpastes and shampoos; however, the toxicological and biological effects of TCS in the human body after long-term and low-concentration exposure are far from being well understood. In the current study, we investigated the effects of TCS on the differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) by measuring the cytotoxicity, morphological changes, lipid accumulation, and the expression of adipocyte differentiation biomarkers during 21-day adipogenesis. Significant cytotoxicity was observed in un-induced hMSCs treated with high-concentration TCS (≥ 5.

Inhibiting Wipf2 downregulation by transgenic expression of its 3' mRNA-untranslated region improves cytotoxicity and vaccination response.

Lymphocyte activation results in profound changes in the abundance of mRNA transcripts many of which are downregulated. The Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) protein (WASP) family is critical for productive T-cell receptor signaling and actin reorganization. The WASP signal pathway includes the WAS/WAS-like (WASL) interacting protein family 2 (WIPF2) gene also known as WIRE/WICH.

Sex Differences in the Expression of Drug-Metabolizing and Transporter Genes in Human Liver.

Human sex differences in the gene expression of drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters (DMETs) introduce differences in drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion, possibly affecting drug efficacy and adverse reactions. However, existing studies aimed at identifying dimorphic expression differences of DMET genes are limited by sample size and the number of genes profiled. Focusing on a list of 374 DMET genes, we analyzed a previously published gene expression data set consisting of human male (n=234) and female (n=193) liver samples, and identified 77 genes showing differential expression due to sex.

Control of protein kinase C activity, phorbol ester-induced cytoskeletal remodeling, and cell survival signals by the scaffolding protein SSeCKS/GRAVIN/AKAP12.

The product of the SSeCKS/GRAVIN/AKAP12 gene ("SSeCKS") is a major protein kinase (PK) C substrate that exhibits tumor- and metastasis-suppressing activity likely through its ability to scaffold multiple signaling mediators such as PKC, PKA, cyclins, calmodulin, and Src. Although SSeCKS and PKCα bind phosphatidylserine, we demonstrate that phosphatidylserine-independent binding of PKC by SSeCKS is facilitated by two homologous SSeCKS motifs, EG(I/V)(T/S)XWXSFK(K/R)(M/L)VTP(K/R)K(K/R)X(K/R)XXXEXXXE(E/D) (amino acids 592-620 and 741-769). SSeCKS binding to PKCα decreased kinase activity and was dependent on the two PKC-binding motifs.

Phosphorylation mediates Sp1 coupled activities of proteolytic processing, desumoylation and degradation.

Cell signaling pathways induce Sp1 phosphorylation, which allows for the upregulation of Sp1-dependent genes that control cell growth, cell-cycle progression, survival and tumorigenesis. Sp1 activity is under constitutive repression through the sumoylation of Lysine-16, and Lysine-16 dependent N-terminal cleavage relieves this repression. The present investigation probes further into the mechanisms of Sp1 processing, desumoylation, and degradation to reveal that phosphorylation is the major driving force behind these coupled activities.