Development of a rapid, robust, and universal picogreen-based method to titer adeno-associated vectors.

Recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAVs) are promising vectors in preclinical and clinical assays for the treatment of diseases with gene therapy strategies. Recent technological advances in amplification and purification have allowed the production of highly purified rAAV vector preparations. Although quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is the current method of choice for titrating rAAV genomes, it shows high variability.

Canine adenovirus downstream processing protocol.

Adenovirus vectors are efficient gene delivery tools. A major caveat with vectors derived from common human adenovirus serotypes is that most adults are likely to have been exposed to the wild-type virus and exhibit active immunity against the vectors. This preexisting immunity limits their clinical success.

Construction, production, and purification of recombinant adenovirus vectors.

Recombinant adenoviruses provide a versatile system for gene expression studies and therapeutic applications. In this chapter, a standard procedure for their generation and small-scale production is described. Homologous recombination in E.

beta-Catenin and plakoglobin N- and C-tails determine ligand specificity.

beta-Catenin and plakoglobin are related proteins involved in the regulation of adherens junctions and desmosomes. Moreover, by binding to Tcf-4, they can act as transcriptional modulators of genes involved in embryonic development and tumorigenesis. However, they associate to distinct Tcf-4 subdomains causing opposing effects on Tcf-4 binding to DNA: whereas beta-catenin does not affect this binding, plakoglobin prevents it.

Tyrosine phosphorylation of plakoglobin causes contrary effects on its association with desmosomes and adherens junction components and modulates beta-catenin-mediated transcription.

Plakoglobin is a protein closely related to beta-catenin that links desmosomal cadherins to intermediate filaments. Plakoglobin can also substitute for beta-catenin in adherens junctions, providing a connection between E-cadherin and alpha-catenin. Association of beta-catenin with E-cadherin and alpha-catenin is regulated by phosphorylation of specific tyrosine residues; modification of beta-catenin Tyr654 and Tyr142 decreases binding to E-cadherin and alpha-catenin, respectively.

APC 3 x 15 beta-catenin-binding domain potentiates beta-catenin association to TBP and upregulates TCF-4 transcriptional activity.

Beta-catenin plays a dual role as a regulatory component of adherens junctions and as a transcriptional cofactor. The nuclear activity of this protein is controlled by adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) protein. We have analyzed the effect on beta-catenin-dependent transcription of a beta-catenin binding domain present in APC, consisting in three 15-amino acid repeats (APC 3 x 15).

p120 Catenin-associated Fer and Fyn tyrosine kinases regulate beta-catenin Tyr-142 phosphorylation and beta-catenin-alpha-catenin Interaction.

beta-Catenin has a key role in the formation of adherens junction through its interactions with E-cadherin and alpha-catenin. We show here that interaction of beta-catenin with alpha-catenin is regulated by the phosphorylation of beta-catenin Tyr-142. This residue can be phosphorylated in vitro by Fer or Fyn tyrosine kinases.

Beta-catenin N- and C-terminal tails modulate the coordinated binding of adherens junction proteins to beta-catenin.

beta-Catenin plays a central role in the establishment and regulation of adherens junctions because it interacts with E-cadherin and, through alpha-catenin, with the actin cytoskeleton. beta-Catenin is composed of three domains: a central armadillo repeat domain and two N- and C-terminal tails. The C-tail interacts with the armadillo domain and limits its ability to bind E-cadherin and other cofactors.

The transcriptional factor Tcf-4 contains different binding sites for beta-catenin and plakoglobin.

beta-Catenin and plakoglobin are two related armadillo proteins necessary for the establishment of adhesion junctions and desmosomes. Moreover, beta-catenin can also act as a transcriptional co-activator through its interaction with the members of Tcf/LEF-1 transcriptional factor family. We show here that Tcf-4 can be phosphorylated in vitro by protein kinase CK2 stoichiometrically in amino acids Ser-58-Ser-59-Ser-60.