Human placenta-derived Wnt-5a induces the expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 in CD133(+)CD34(+)-hematopoietic progenitor cells.

Angiogenesis and vascular development are essential for fetal development and growth, whereby early pregnancy loss and other pregnancy-related pathologies have been linked to aberrant vascular development. As Wnt signalling has been suggested to play a role in the vascularization of chorionic villi, we investigated the expression of Wnt family members in trophoblasts and stromal cells isolated from chorionic villi of early placenta and the influence of Wnt signalling on CD133(+)CD34(+)-hematopoietic progenitor (CD133(+)CD34(+)) cells. Wnt-5a was expressed in human placental stromal cells and to a lesser extent in human trophoblast cells.

SOCS-3 antagonizes pro-apoptotic effects of TRAIL and resveratrol in prostate cancer cells.

Background: Therapy for advanced prostate cancer is only palliative and its improvement could be achieved by sensitization to pro-apoptotic agents to which resveratrol belongs. We investigated the interaction between the tumor-selective apoptosis inducer tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS-3), an antiapoptotic molecule which is up-regulated in prostate cancer.

Methods: Expression of SOCS-3 and TRAIL (death) receptors was determined by Western blot after treatment with TRAIL in prostate cancer cell lines.

Epstein-Barr virus antagonizes the antiproliferative activity of transforming growth factor-beta but does not abolish its signaling.

TGF-beta induces apoptosis and inhibits the proliferation of EBV-negative B-lymphoma cell lines. In contrast, EBV-immortalized B cells are resistant to both the proapoptotic and the antiproliferative activities of TGF-beta. We have generated a lymphoblastoid cell line, in which we can switch on and off the EBV-specific transcriptional program driven by EBNA2.