Noncanonical regulation of insulin-mediated ERK activation by phosphoinositide 3-kinase γ.

Classically Class IB phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3Kγ) plays a role in extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation following G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) activation. Knock-down of PI3Kγ unexpectedly resulted in loss of ERK activation to receptor tyrosine kinase agonists such as epidermal growth factor or insulin. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) or primary adult cardiac fibroblasts isolated from PI3Kγ knock-out mice (PI3KγKO) showed decreased insulin-stimulated ERK activation.

Lysophosphatidic acid suppresses endothelial cell CD36 expression and promotes angiogenesis via a PKD-1-dependent signaling pathway.

In pathologic settings including retinal ischemia and malignant tumors, robust angiogenesis occurs despite the presence in the microenvironment of antiangiogenic proteins containing thrombospondin structural homology (TSR) domains. We hypothesized that antiangiogenesis mediated by TSR-containing proteins could be blunted by localized down-regulation of their cognate receptor on microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs), CD36. Through screening a panel of endothelial cell agonists, we found that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) dramatically down-regulated CD36 surface expression on primary MVECs.

A novel broadband impedance method for detection of cell-derived microparticles.

A novel label-free method is presented to detect and quantify cell-derived microparticles (MPs) by the electrochemical potential-modulated electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). MPs are present in elevated concentrations during pathological conditions and play a major role in the establishment and pathogenesis of many diseases. Considering this, accurate detection and quantification of MPs is very important in clinical diagnostics and therapeutics.