Newborn mice vaccination with BCG.HIVA²²² + MVA.HIVA enhances HIV-1-specific immune responses: influence of age and immunization routes.

We have evaluated the influence of age and immunization routes for induction of HIV-1- and M. tuberculosis-specific immune responses after neonatal (7 days old) and adult (7 weeks old) BALB/c mice immunization with BCG.HIVA(222) prime and MVA.

Molecular characterization of heterologous HIV-1gp120 gene expression disruption in mycobacterium bovis BCG host strain: a critical issue for engineering mycobacterial based-vaccine vectors.

Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) as a live vector of recombinant bacterial vaccine is a promising system to be used. In this study, we evaluate the disrupted expression of heterologous HIV-1gp120 gene in BCG Pasteur host strain using replicative vectors pMV261 and pJH222. pJH222 carries a lysine complementing gene in BCG lysine auxotrophs.

Plasticity of CD133+ cells: role in pulmonary vascular remodeling.

Objective: Studies in pulmonary arteries (PA) of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) suggest that bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (CD133(+)) may infiltrate the intima and differentiate into smooth muscle cells (SMC). This study aimed to evaluate the plasticity of CD133(+) cells to differentiate into SMC and endothelial cells (EC) in both cell culture and human isolated PA.

Methods: Plasticity of granulocyte-colony stimulator factor (G-CSF)-mobilized peripheral blood CD133(+) cells was assessed in co-cultures with primary lines of human PA endothelial cells (PAEC) or SMC (PASMC) and in isolated human PA.

Repression of SOX6 transcriptional activity by SUMO modification.

SOX6 plays key functions in several developmental processes, including neurogenesis and skeleton formation. In this report, we show that SOX6 is modified in vitro and in vivo by small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) on two distinct sites. Mutation of both sites abolished SOX6 sumoylation and increased SOX6 transcriptional activity.

Induction of the Sry-related factor SOX6 contributes to bone morphogenetic protein-2-induced chondroblastic differentiation of C3H10T1/2 cells.

Chondrogenesis leads to the formation of mature cartilage and generates initial skeletal elements that serve as templates for endochondral bone formation. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are involved in several developmental and organogenetic processes and have been identified as key regulators in chondrogenesis. In the present study we sought to determine the transcriptional mechanisms contributing to the induction of chondrogenic markers by BMP-2.