Stomatin modulates adipogenesis through the ERK pathway and regulates fatty acid uptake and lipid droplet growth.

Regulation of fatty acid uptake, lipid production and storage, and metabolism of lipid droplets (LDs), is closely related to lipid homeostasis, adipocyte hypertrophy and obesity. We report here that stomatin, a major constituent of lipid raft, participates in adipogenesis and adipocyte maturation by modulating related signaling pathways. In adipocyte-like cells, increased stomatin promotes LD growth or enlargements by facilitating LD-LD fusion.

Rapid bacterial antibiotic susceptibility test based on simple surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic biomarkers.

Rapid bacterial antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) measurement are important to help reduce the widespread misuse of antibiotics and alleviate the growing drug-resistance problem. We discovered that, when a susceptible strain of Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli is exposed to an antibiotic, the intensity of specific biomarkers in its surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra drops evidently in two hours. The discovery has been exploited for rapid AST and MIC determination of methicillin-susceptible S.

Interleukin-4 receptor-targeted liposomal doxorubicin as a model for enhancing cellular uptake and antitumor efficacy in murine colorectal cancer.

Our previous studies showed that colorectal tumor has high interleukin-4 receptor α (IL-4Rα) expression, whereas adjacent normal tissue has low or no IL-4Rα expression. We also observed that human atherosclerotic plaque-specific peptide-1 (AP1) can specifically target to IL-4Rα. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic efficacy and systemic toxicity of AP1-conjuagted liposomal doxorubicin.

Rapid detection of copper chlorophyll in vegetable oils based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

The addition of copper chlorophyll and its derivatives (Cu-Chl) to vegetable oils to disguise them as more expensive oils, such as virgin olive oils, would not only create public confusion, but also disturb the olive oil market. Given that existing detection methods of Ch-Chl in oils, such as LC-MS are costly and time consuming, it is imperative to develop economical and fast analytical techniques to provide information quickly. This paper demonstrates a rapid analytical method based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to detect Cu-Chl in vegetable oils; the spectroscopic markers of Cu-Chl are presented and a detection limit of 5 mg kg(-1) is demonstrated.

Kinesin 3 and cytoplasmic dynein mediate interkinetic nuclear migration in neural stem cells.

Radial glial progenitor cells exhibit bidirectional cell cycle-dependent nuclear oscillations. The purpose and underlying mechanism of this unusual 'interkinetic nuclear migration' are poorly understood. We investigated the basis for this behavior by live imaging of nuclei, centrosomes and microtubules in embryonic rat brain slices, coupled with the use of RNA interference (RNAi) and the myosin inhibitor blebbistatin.

Asymmetric centrosome inheritance maintains neural progenitors in the neocortex.

Asymmetric divisions of radial glia progenitors produce self-renewing radial glia and differentiating cells simultaneously in the ventricular zone (VZ) of the developing neocortex. Whereas differentiating cells leave the VZ to constitute the future neocortex, renewing radial glia progenitors stay in the VZ for subsequent divisions. The differential behaviour of progenitors and their differentiating progeny is essential for neocortical development; however, the mechanisms that ensure these behavioural differences are unclear.

Intracellular delivery can be achieved by bombarding cells or tissues with accelerated molecules or bacteria without the need for carrier particles.

To deliver non-permeable molecules into cells, one can utilize protocols such as microinjection, electroporation, liposome-mediated transfection or virus-mediated transfection. However, each method has its own limitations. Here we have developed a new molecular delivery technique where live cells or tissues are bombarded with highly accelerated molecules directly and without the need to conjugate the molecules onto carrier particles, which is essential in conventional "gene gun" experiments.

Deglycosylation of Na+/K+-ATPase causes the basolateral protein to undergo apical targeting in polarized hepatic cells.

Polarized epithelia, such as hepatocytes, target their integral membrane proteins to specific apical or basolateral membrane domains during or after biogenesis. The roles played by protein glycosylation in this sorting process remain controversial. We report here that deglycosylation treatments in well-polarized hepatic cells by deglycosylation drugs, or by site-directed mutagenesis of the N-linked-glycosylation residues, all cause the Na+/K+-ATPase beta-subunit to traffic from the native basolateral to the apical/canalicular domain.

PICK1, an anchoring protein that specifically targets protein kinase Calpha to mitochondria selectively upon serum stimulation in NIH 3T3 cells.

PICK1 binds to protein kinase Calpha (PKCalpha) through the carboxylate-binding loop in its PDZ (PSD95/Disc-large/ZO-1) domain and the C terminus of PKCalpha. We have previously shown that PICK1 modulates the catalytic activity of PKC selectively toward the antiproliferative gene TIS21. To investigate whether PICK1 plays a role in targeting activated PKCalpha to a particular intracellular compartment in addition to regulating PKC activity, we examine the localization of PICK1 and PKCalpha in response to various stimuli.