Synthetic (glyco-)peptides of the homophilic recognition domain of E-cadherin lead to increased E-cadherin mRNA synthesis and are inductors of cell differentiation in primary lung cancer cell lines.

E-cadherin is one of the critical molecules involved in the metastatic process in many types of cancer. Once combined, E-cadherin exceeds the amount of membranous E-cadherin on the cellular surface by activation of intracellular signaling cascades. Studies on transformed keratinocytes of the HaCat cell line showed induction of differentiation by synthetical partial structures of the homophilic binding region of E-cadherin.

MGMT activity, promoter methylation and immunohistochemistry of pretreatment and recurrent malignant gliomas: a comparative study on astrocytoma and glioblastoma.

The DNA repair protein O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is a key player in tumor cell resistance. Promoter methylation, MGMT activity and immunohistochemistry are used for determining the MGMT status. However, it is unclear whether MGMT promoter methylation correlates with MGMT activity and whether MGMT promoter methylation of the pretreatment tumor predicts the MGMT status of recurrences.

Implementation of new software for fast screening of cell compatibility on surface modifications using low-contrast time-lapsed microscopy.

Assessment of cell adhesion and cell size provides valuable information on surface biocompatibility. However, most investigations on cell morphology dynamics are time and resource consuming, of rather descriptive character and lack procedures for appropriate quantification. The aim of the study was to develop a software programme which allows automated cell segmentation and identification as well as calculation and further processing of cell size in low-contrast images.

Pharmacological inhibition of Bcl-2 family members reactivates TRAIL-induced apoptosis in malignant glioma.

The major aim of this study was to develop novel therapeutic approaches to potentiate and reactivate apoptosis induced by TNF-Related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand (TRAIL) in malignant glioma. Analysis of five glioma cell lines (U87, U251, U373, MZ-54 and MZ-18) indicated that only two of the cell lines were sensitive to apoptosis induced by TRAIL alone. TRAIL resistance was not correlated to expression levels of the death receptors DR4 and DR5 or the decoy receptors DcR1 and DcR2, suggesting that it was mediated by inactivation of TRAIL-induced downstream signalling.

In vitro assessment of motility and proliferation of human osteogenic cells on different isolated extracellular matrix components compared with enamel matrix derivative by continuous single-cell observation.

Objectives: The composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a substantial role in bone remodelling, fracture healing and osseointegration of dental implants by regulating proliferation, migration and finally differentiation of osteogenic cell populations. Emdogain, a composition of an enamel matrix derivative (EMD), has been introduced as a potential candidate to promote tissue regeneration. We investigated whether EMD could serve as a potential promoter of cell proliferation and motility as a dynamic cell response and compared the results with the ubiquitous single ECM components type I collagen and laminin.