Chemotherapy-induced emergence of drug resistant cells is frequently observed and is exemplified by the expression of family of drug resistance proteins including, multidrug resistance protein 1 (MDR1). However, a concise mechanism for chemotherapy-induced MDR1 expression is unclear. Mechanistically, mutational selection, epigenetic alteration, activation of the Wnt pathway or impaired p53 function have been implicated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBmi-1 is a member of the Polycomb Repressor Complex1 that mediates gene silencing by regulating chromatin structure and is indispensable for self-renewal of both normal and cancer stem cells. Despite three decades of research that have elucidated the transcriptional regulation, post-translational modifications and functions of Bmi-1 in regulating the DNA damage response, cellular bioenergetics, and pathologies, the entire potential of a protein with such varied function remains to be realized. This review attempts to synthesize the current knowledge on Bmi-1 with an emphasis on its role in both normal physiology and cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA comparison of IgE recognition by cognate receptors expressed on the C2 canine mastocytoma cell line with analogous events in a rat basophilic leukemia cell line transfected with the alpha-chain subunit of the canine high-affinity IgE receptor using flow cytometry show that canine IgE recognizes the alpha-chain of its cognate receptor on both cell lines. Our study confirms the expression of functional IgE receptors in both cell lines, but receptor-mediated signaling in the C2 line only supports the early stages of downstream signaling as shown by the phosphorylation of the gamma-chain and the failure to effect the phosphorylation of Syk. In contrast RBL-2H3 cells respond to sensitization with IgE and challenge with cognate antigen with tyrosine phosphorylation of the gamma-subunits of the receptor complex followed by downstream phosphorylation of Syk and Ca(2+) mobilization, culminating in beta-hexosaminidase release.
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