Fibroblast growth factor 21 is regulated by the IRE1α-XBP1 branch of the unfolded protein response and counteracts endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced hepatic steatosis.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress activates the adaptive unfolded protein response (UPR) and represents a critical mechanism that underlies metabolic dysfunctions. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), a hormone that is predominantly secreted by the liver, exerts a broad range of effects upon the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. Although increased circulating levels of FGF21 have been documented in animal models and human subjects with obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, the functional interconnections between metabolic ER stress and FGF21 are incompletely understood.

[Inhibitory effect of the recombinant adenovirus pre-miR-10a on K562 cell proliferation].

Aim: To investigate the changes of proliferation and apoptosis in K562 cells over-expressing miR-10a.

Methods: K562 cells were infected with pAd-pre-miR-10a virus, and then the levels of miR-10a and bcr/abl in transfected K562 cells was detected using RT-PCR and the level of BCR/ABL using Western blotting. The methylthiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay and flow cytometry (FCM) were used to monitor the changes of proliferation and apoptosis of K562 cells after transfection.

Enhancement of specific cellular immune response induced by glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchored BCR/ABL and mIL-12.

bcr/abl fusion gene is thought to be a promising target for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients to enhance immune response after attaining complete remission. In this study, we sought to enhance cellular immunity by co-expression of BCR/ABL and murine IL-12 gene on the tumor cell surface as a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-form. The successfully constructed plasmid pBudCE4.

[MT1-MMP up-regulates VEGF expression in human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells and induces tumor angiogenesis].

Objective: To study the function of MT1-MMP in tumor angiogenesis and elucidate the possible way of action that MT1-MMP contributes to angiogenesis.

Methods: MT1-MMP was transfected into human breast carcinoma cell line MCF-7 cells. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR and immunofluorescence staining were employed to detect the expression of VEGF in the transfected and non-transfected MCF-7 cells.

The effect of transformation on the virulence of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Although pneumococcus is one of the most frequently encountered opportunistic pathogen in the world, the mechanisms responsible for its infectiveness have not yet been fully understood. In this paper, we have attempted to characterize the effects of pneumococcal transformation on the pathogenesis of the organism. We constructed three transformation-deficient pneumococcal strains, which were designated as Nos.