Daxx-beta and Daxx-gamma, two novel splice variants of the transcriptional co-repressor Daxx.

Daxx is involved in transcriptional control and apoptosis. It comprises several domains, including a regulatory C terminus that is responsible for the interaction with numerous proteins such as p53, promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML), and Hsp27. Here, we describe the identification and characterization of two novel variants of Daxx termed Daxx-β and Daxx-γ, which are generated by alternative splicing.

Nitric oxide-mediated protection of endothelial cells from hydrogen peroxide is mediated by intracellular zinc and glutathione.

Oxidative stress may cause endothelial dysfunction and vascular disease. It has been shown that NO protects endothelial cells (EC) against H(2)O(2)-induced toxicity. In addition, it is known that NO within cells induces a zinc release from proteins containing zinc-sulfur complexes.

Zinc protects endothelial cells from hydrogen peroxide via Nrf2-dependent stimulation of glutathione biosynthesis.

Oxidative stress is one of the main causes of vascular disease. This study aims to investigate the antioxidant activity exerted by zinc in primary rat endothelial cells (EC). Using a 24-h treatment with hydrogen peroxide as a model for oxidative stress, we found that zinc supplementation protects from peroxide-induced cell death via increasing the transcription of the catalytic subunit (heavy chain) of glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCLC) and the concentrations of glutathione (GSH).

Evidence for a physiological role of intracellularly occurring photolabile nitrogen oxides in human skin fibroblasts.

Nitric oxide (NO) plays a pivotal role in human skin biology. Cutaneous NO can be produced enzymatically by NO synthases (NOS) as well as enzyme independently via photodecomposition of photolabile nitrogen oxides (PNOs) such as nitrite or nitroso compounds, both found in human skin tissue in comparably high concentrations. Although the physiological role of NOS-produced NO in human skin is well defined, nothing is known about the biological relevance or the chemical origin of intracellularly occurring PNOs.

The transforming acidic coiled coil 3 protein is essential for spindle-dependent chromosome alignment and mitotic survival.

Cancer-associated centrosomal transforming acidic coiled coil (TACC) proteins are involved in mitotic spindle function. By employing gene targeting, we have recently described a nonredundant and essential role of TACC3 in regulating cell proliferation. In this study, we used an inducible RNA interference approach to characterize the molecular function of TACC3 and its role in mitotic progression and cell survival.

The impact of nitrite and antioxidants on ultraviolet-A-induced cell death of human skin fibroblasts.

Nitrite (NO(2)(-)) occurs ubiquitously in biological fluids such as blood and sweat. Ultraviolet A-induced nitric oxide formation via decomposition of cutaneous nitrite, accompanied by the production of reactive oxygen (ROS) or nitrogen species (RNS), represents an important source for NO in human skin physiology. Examining the impact of nitrite and the antioxidants glutathione (GSH), Trolox (TRL), and ascorbic acid (ASC) on UVA-induced toxicity of human skin fibroblasts (FB) we found that NO(2)(-) concentration-dependently enhances the susceptibility of FB to the toxic effects of UVA by a mechanism comprising enhanced induction of lipid peroxidation.