Identification and characterization of nonapeptide targeting a human B cell lymphoma, Raji.

Here, we identified a novel peptide specifically targeting a human B cell lymphoma, Raji, through a conventional phage display method. The amino acid sequence, 'CTLPHLKMC' was obtained with the highest frequency from a nonapeptide-expressing phage library. The phage clone encoding CTLPHLKMC peptide sequence avidly bound to Raji cells compared with control phage clones.

Lactobacillus acidophilus expressing recombinant K99 adhesive fimbriae has an inhibitory effect on adhesion of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

The most common enteric colibacillosis in neonatal and newborns is caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli(ETEC). Colonization of ETEC in the small intestine is associated with adhesions using fimbriae, which is known as a specific adhesion factor and provides highly specific means for anchoring and prerequisite for an infectious agent. In the present study we have engineered Lactobacillus acidophilus to produce recombinant K99 fimbriae, which is used for the colonization to the intestine of pigs.

Mouse DAM1 regulates pro-apoptotic activity of BLK in mammary epithelial cells.

Mouse mammary gland cDNA library was screened to search for BLK-interacting protein using yeast two-hybrid system, and a mouse DNA amplified in mammary carcinoma 1 (mDAM1) was obtained. mDAM1 cDNA contained a full coding region of 678bp encoding 225 amino acids with the predicted molecular mass of 26kDa. Comparison of the mouse to human DAM1 revealed 90 and 100% identities at the nucleotide and protein levels, respectively.

Characterization of nuclear localization signal in mouse ING1 homolog protein.

We reported previously that mouse ING1 homolog (mINGh), localized in the nucleus, enhanced cell death in HC11 mouse mammary epithelial cells. Analysis of the mINGh amino acid sequences revealed the presence of potential nuclear localization signal (NLS) and plant homeodomain (PHD) finger DNA binding domain. In the present study, NLS site in mINGh was determined using different pieces of mutant mINGh proteins, which were fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP), and transfected into HC11 cells.

Mouse ING1 homologue, a protein interacting with A1, enhances cell death and is inhibited by A1 in mammary epithelial cells.

We cloned mouse ING1 homologue (mINGh), an A1/Bfl-1-interacting protein, from mouse mammary glands using a yeast two-hybrid assay and unexpectedly found four splicing variants of mINGh by reverse transcription-PCR assay and sequence analysis. The alternative splicing variants were mINGh-S, mINGh-M, mINGh-L, and mINGh-L2 encoding 171, 248, 166, and 227 amino acids, respectively. Cell death of HC11 cells, induced by serum starvation, was enhanced by mINGhs, and the action of mINGhs was inhibited by A1 protein.