Plasmodium vivax liver stage assay platforms using Indian clinical isolates.

Background: Vivax malaria is associated with significant morbidity and economic loss, and constitutes the bulk of malaria cases in large parts of Asia and South America as well as recent case reports in Africa. The widespread prevalence of vivax is a challenge to global malaria elimination programmes. Vivax malaria control is particularly challenged by existence of dormant liver stage forms that are difficult to treat and are responsible for multiple relapses, growing drug resistance to the asexual blood stages and host-genetic factors that preclude use of specific drugs like primaquine capable of targeting Plasmodium vivax liver stages.

Chemically defined and growth-factor-free culture system for the expansion and derivation of human pluripotent stem cells.

The large-scale and cost-effective production of quality-controlled human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) for use in cell therapy and drug discovery would ideally require a chemically defined xenobiotic-free culture system. Towards the development of such a system, costs associated with the use of recombinant proteins as supplements in basal culture media need to be reduced. Here, we describe a growth-factor-free culture medium that uses just three chemical compounds and a lower number of recombinant proteins than used in commercially available media.

Astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) and the A(E)Ging HIV/AIDS-HAND.

Recent attempts to analyze human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1-induced gene expression changes in astrocytes uncovered a multifunctional oncogene, astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1). Our previous studies revealed that AEG-1 regulates reactive astrocytes proliferation, migration and inflammation, hallmarks of aging and CNS injury. Moreover, the involvement of AEG-1 in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Huntington's disease and migraine, and its induction in the aged brain suggest a plausible role in regulating overall CNS homeostasis and aging.

Astrocyte elevated gene-1 is a novel modulator of HIV-1-associated neuroinflammation via regulation of nuclear factor-κB signaling and excitatory amino acid transporter-2 repression.

Astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1), a novel human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-inducible oncogene, has generated significant interest in the field of cancer research as a therapeutic target for many metastatic aggressive tumors. However, little is known about its role in astrocyte responses during HIV-1 central nervous system (CNS) infection and whether it contributes toward the development of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Therefore, in this study, we investigated changes in AEG-1 CNS expression in HIV-1-infected brain tissues and elucidated a potential mechanism of AEG-1-mediated regulation of HAND.

Astrocyte elevated gene-1 regulates astrocyte responses to neural injury: implications for reactive astrogliosis and neurodegeneration.

Background: Reactive astrogliosis is a ubiquitous but poorly understood hallmark of central nervous system pathologies such as trauma and neurodegenerative diseases. In vitro and in vivo studies have identified proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines as mediators of astrogliosis during injury and disease; however, the molecular mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we identify astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1), a human immunodeficiency virus 1 or tumor necrosis factor α-inducible oncogene, as a novel modulator of reactive astrogliosis.