MicroRNA-17-3p suppresses NF-κB-mediated endothelial inflammation by targeting NIK and IKKβ binding protein.

Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activation contributes to many vascular inflammatory diseases. The present study tested the hypothesis that microRNA-17-3p (miR-17-3p) suppresses the pro-inflammatory responses via NF-κB signaling in vascular endothelium. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), transfected with or without miR-17-3p agomir/antagomir, were exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and the inflammatory responses were determined.

Orally active anti-hypertensive peptides found based on enteroendocrine cell responses to a dipeptide library.

We previously reported that an orally administered dipeptide, Arg-Phe (RF), which causes enteroendocrine cell responses, lowered blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). In this study, we found that Phe-Trp (FW), induced the most potent enteroendocrine cell responses out of total 338 dipeptides. An FW analogue, Phe-Trp-Gly-Lys (FWGK), which was effectively produced by tryptic digestion of bovine serum albumin, decreased blood pressure after oral administration.

Adjuvant dendritic cells vaccine combined with cytokine-induced-killer cell therapy after renal cell carcinoma surgery.

Purpose: To observe the efficacy and side effects of adjuvant dendritic cells' (DCs) vaccine combined with cytokine-induced killer cell (CIK) therapy after renal cell carcinoma (RCC) surgery (RCCS).

Methods: DCs vaccine and CIK that loaded the autologous tumor cell lysate were prepared in vitro. Four hundred and ten RCC patients were recruited, and the study group was given DCs-CIK immunotherapy, while the control group was given IFN-α therapy.

A conserved sequence in caveolin-1 is both necessary and sufficient for caveolin polarity and cell directional migration.

Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) plays an important role in the organization of signaling molecules involved in a variety of signaling pathways, including those mediating cell motility. Here we show that amino acids K47-K57 of Cav-1 are a highly conserved sequence in Cav-1 and Cav-3 proteins, and that expression of either K47-K57 deletion Cav-1 mutant or wild-type Cav-2 that lacks this sequence exhibits a non-polarized distribution pattern. Expression of K47-K57 in Cav-2 leads to Cav-2 polarity, suggesting that expression of K47-K57 is sufficient to direct caveolin polarity.

Identification of a novel domain at the N terminus of caveolin-1 that controls rear polarization of the protein and caveolae formation.

When cells are migrating, caveolin-1, the principal protein component of caveolae, is excluded from the leading edge and polarized at the cell rear. The dynamic feature depends on a specific sequence motif that directs intracellular trafficking of the protein. Deletion mutation analysis revealed a putative polarization domain at the N terminus of caveolin-1, between amino acids 32-60.

[Prolongation of survival time of allogenous skin graft after transfection of Molluscum contagiosum virus 148 gene in rats].

Objective: To explore the immunosuppressive effect of local transfection of Molluscum contagiosum virus 148 (MC148) gene to allogenous skin graft against rejection.

Methods: MC148 gene was cloned from molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV), and was employed to construct recombinant adenovirus vector (Ad-MC148). The recombinant Ad-MC148 was then locally transfected into a part of the tail skin of eight Lewis rats, which served as skin donors for grafting.

A novel gene delivery system targeting urokinase receptor.

Recombinant proteins that combine different functions required for cell targeting and intra-cellular delivery of DNA present an attractive approach for the development of nonviral gene delivery vectors. Here, we described a novel protein termed ATF-lys10 which facilitated cell-specific gene transfer via receptor-mediated endocytosis. ATF-lys10 was composed of the amino-terminal fragment of urokinase and ten lysines at the carboxyl terminus.

[Biological function of fusion protein ATF-PAI2CD].

To express the fusion protein ATF-PAI2CD (urokinase-type plasminogen activator amino terminal fragment-plasminogen activator inhibitor type 2 with the region inter C and D helices deleted ) gene in E.coli and determine the biological characterization of fusion protein ATF-PAI2CD, the cDNA fragment encoding ATF-PAI2CD was cloned into the expression vector pLY-4 and transformed into E.coli JF1125.