Expression of N-myc downstream regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) in central neurocytoma.

N-myc downstream regulated gene 1 (NDRG1), also known as Cap43, Drg-1, and rit42, is expressed in various normal tissues and cancers, in which it is often associated with a favorable prognosis. It also plays a critical role in central nervous system development, with NDRG1 deficiency resulting in neural defects in mice. Central neurocytoma (CN) is a relatively rare tumor of the neurocytes in the brain, which occurs mainly in young adults.

YB-1 bridges neural stem cells and brain tumor-initiating cells via its roles in differentiation and cell growth.

The Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1) is upregulated in many human malignancies including glioblastoma (GBM). It is also essential for normal brain development, suggesting that YB-1 is part of a neural stem cell (NSC) network. Here, we show that YB-1 was highly expressed in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of mouse fetal brain tissues but not in terminally differentiated primary astrocytes.

Impaired ovarian development and reduced fertility in female mice deficient in Skp2.

p27 is a major negative regulator of somatic cellular proliferation, and its down-regulation has been shown to be associated with cancer development. Targeted disruption ofp27 results in complete loss of fertility in female mice, suggesting that it plays a significant role in the development of female gametes and the surrounding environment. We have now investigated the effect of loss of Skp2, an F-box protein that mediates ubiquitin-dependent degradation of p27, on female gamete production.

N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) a differentiation marker of human breast cancer.

N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1), also called differentiation-related gene-1 (Drg1) and Cap43, is expressed in various normal tissues and suppressed in several malignancies. In this study, whether NDRG1 expression was correlated with differentiation of human breast cancer cells has been investigated. Endogenous expression level of NDRG1 was closely correlated with differentiation status of breast cancer cell lines.

Small interfering RNA library screen of human kinases and phosphatases identifies polo-like kinase 1 as a promising new target for the treatment of pediatric rhabdomyosarcomas.

Rhabdomyosarcoma, consisting of alveolar (aRMS) and embryonal (eRMS) subtypes, is the most common type of sarcoma in children. Currently, there are no targeted drug therapies available for rhabdomyosarcoma. In searching for new molecular therapeutic targets, we carried out genome-wide small interfering RNA (siRNA) library screens targeting human phosphatases (n = 206) and kinases (n = 691) initially against an aRMS cell line, RH30.

Effect of combined treatment with alendronate and calcitriol on femoral neck strength in osteopenic rats.

Background: Hip fracture is associated with pronounced morbidity and excess mortality in elderly women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. Many drugs have been developed to treat osteoporosis and to reduce the risk of osteoporotic fractures. We investigated the effects of combined alendronate and vitamin D3 treatment on bone mass and fracture load at the femoral neck in ovariectomized (OVX) rats, and evaluated the relationship between bone mass parameters and femoral neck strength.

Tyrosine-kinase inhibition results in EGFR clustering at focal adhesions and consequent exocytosis in uPAR down-regulated cells of head and neck cancers.

Background: Antisense (AS) induced down-regulation of uPAR in ACCS adenoid-cyctic carcinoma cells decreased the cellular adhesion and invasion on various extracellular matrices. Additionally, ACCS-AS cells showed an increased EGFR expression and other behavioral similarities to NA-SCC, a typical highly proliferative but less invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell line of the head and neck. ACCS, ACCS-AS and NA-SCC cells were used to elucidate the relationships between uPAR down-regulation and EGFR inhibition.

Effect of preoperative combined treatment with alendronate and calcitriol on fixation of hydroxyapatite-coated implants in ovariectomized rats.

Background: Osteoporosis is a potential risk factor affecting implant stability following total joint arthroplasty. Bisphosphonates are potent inhibitors of osteoblastic bone resorption, and vitamin D is an important hormone involved in the regulation of calcium metabolism. We investigated the benefit of preoperative treatment with alendronate, vitamin D (calcitriol), or a combination of these substances on fixation of hydroxyapatite-coated implants in an ovariectomized rat model of osteoporosis.

Expression of the urokinase receptor regulates focal adhesion assembly and cell migration in adenoid cystic carcinoma cells.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC) cell lines (ACCS and ACCT) showed higher migration responses and adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM), especially types I and IV collagen, than did the oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) lines (NA and TF). The response to collagens was largely and exclusively inhibited by anti-alpha(2) integrin antibody. Moreover, AdCC cell lines expressed higher surface levels of urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) than did SCC cell lines.