High-resolution quantitative computed tomography demonstrating selective enhancement of medium-size collaterals by placental growth factor-1 in the mouse ischemic hindlimb.

Background: The process of arteriogenesis after occlusion of a major artery is poorly understood. We have used high-resolution microcomputed tomography (mu-CT) imaging to define the arteriogenic response in the mouse model of hindlimb ischemia and to examine the effect of placental growth factor-1 (PlGF-1) on this process.

Methods And Results: After common femoral artery ligation, mu-CT imaging demonstrated formation of collateral vessels originating near the ligation site in the upper limb and connecting to the ischemic calf muscle region.

Role of PRL-3, a human muscle-specific tyrosine phosphatase, in angiotensin-II signaling.

Action of protein kinases and phosphatases contributes to myocardial hypertrophy. PRL-3, a protein tyrosine phosphatase, was identified in a cDNA library from an explanted human heart obtained from a patient with idiopathic cardiomyopathy. PRL-3 is expressed in heart and skeletal muscle, exhibiting approximately 76% identity to the ubiquitous tyrosine phosphatase PRL-1, which was reported to increase cell proliferation.

Expression, purification, and characterization of active recombinant prostate-specific antigen in Pichia pastoris (yeast).

Background: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a member of the kallikrein family of serine proteases, is a chymotrypsin-like glycoprotein produced by the prostate epithelium. Elevated serum PSA (> 4 ng/ml) is a tumor marker for prostatic cancer and benign prostatic hypertrophy; increasing serum PSA over time is indicative of metastatic disease. It has been suggested that PSA may contribute to tumor metastasis through degradation of extracellular matrix glycoproteins, as well as cleavage of IGF binding protein-3, a modulator of IGF-1.

LY341495 is a nanomolar potent and selective antagonist of group II metabotropic glutamate receptors.

The in vitro pharmacology of a structurally novel compound, LY341495, was investigated at human recombinant metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptor subtypes expressed in non-neuronal (RGT, rat glutamate transporter) cells. LY341495 was a nanomolar potent antagonist of 1S,3R-1-aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (ACPD)-induced inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cAMP formation at mGlu2 and mGlu3 receptors (respective IC50S of 0.021 and 0.

Group III human metabotropic glutamate receptors 4, 7 and 8: molecular cloning, functional expression, and comparison of pharmacological properties in RGT cells.

Cloning and expression in a stable mammalian cell line co-transfected with a glutamate transporter (RGT cells) were used as tools for studying the functions and pharmacological properties of group III metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). Complementary DNAs (cDNAs) encoding the human mGluR4, human mGluR7, and human mGluR8 were isolated from human cerebellum, fetal brain or retinal cDNA libraries. The human mGluR4, mGluR7 and mGluR8 receptors were 912, 915 and 908 amino acid residues long and share 67-70% amino acid similarity with each other and 42-45% similarity with the members of mGluR subgroups I and II.