Dose Evaluation in 2-Phase Method for Advanced Esophageal Cancer by Hybrid Irradiation Techniques.

Purpose: In concurrent chemoradiotherapy for advanced esophageal cancer, a 2-phase method consisting of initial irradiation of a wide elective nodal region and boost irradiation of the primary lesion is commonly employed. Although dose escalation to the primary lesion may be required to achieve higher local control rates, the radiation dose to critical organs must not exceed dose constraints. To achieve an optimum balance of dose prescription and dose reduction to surrounding organs, such as the lungs and heart, we compared hybrid dose distributions and investigated the best combination of the following recent irradiation techniques: volumetric modulation arc therapy (VMAT), proton broad-beam irradiation, and intensity-modulated proton beam therapy (IMPT).

Assay Development and Screening for the Identification of Ganglioside GM3 Synthase Inhibitors.

Ganglioside GM3 is a sialylated membrane-based glycosphingolipid that regulates insulin receptor signaling via direct association with the receptor. The level of expression of GM3 synthase (GM3S) and GM3 is increased in tissues of patients with diabetes and murine models of diabetes, and obesity-induced insulin resistance is attenuated in GM3S-deficient mice. Therefore, GM3S has been considered a therapeutic target for type II diabetes; however, no GM3S inhibitors have been reported to date.

ATP hydrolysis-dependent conformational changes in the extracellular domain of ABCA1 are associated with apoA-I binding.

ATP-binding cassette protein A1 (ABCA1) plays a major role in cholesterol homeostasis and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) metabolism. Although it is predicted that apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) directly binds to ABCA1, the physiological importance of this interaction is still controversial and the conformation required for apoA-I binding is unclear. In this study, the role of the two nucleotide-binding domains (NBD) of ABCA1 in apoA-I binding was determined by inserting a TEV protease recognition sequence in the linker region of ABCA1.

The COP9 signalosome controls ubiquitinylation of ABCA1.

ATP-binding cassette protein A1 (ABCA1) mediates the transfer of cellular free cholesterol and phospholipids to apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), an extracellular acceptor in plasma, to form high-density lipoprotein (HDL). ABCA1 has been suggested to be degraded by proteasome in cholesterol-loaded macrophages, however, the mechanism and regulation of proteasomal degradation of ABCA1 remain unclear. In this study, we analyzed the putative interaction between ABCA1 and COP9 signalosome (CSN), a key molecule in controlling protein ubiquitination and deubiquitination.

Retroendocytosis pathway of ABCA1/apoA-I contributes to HDL formation.

ATP-binding cassette protein A1 (ABCA1) mediates transfer of cellular free cholesterol and phospholipids to apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), an extracellular acceptor in plasma, to form high-density lipoprotein (HDL). It is currently unknown to what extent ABCA1 endocytosis and recycling contribute to the HDL formation. To address this issue, we expressed human ABCA1 constructs with either an extracellular HA tag or an intracellular GFP tag in cells, and used this system to characterize endocytosis and recycling of ABCA1 and apoA-I.

Detection of ABCA7-positive cells in salivary glands from patients with Sjögren's syndrome.

ABCA7 is a member of the subfamily A of adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette (ABC) proteins, and highly homologous to ABCA1, which mediates the release of cellular cholesterol and phospholipid to form high-density lipoprotein. ABCA1 and ABCA7 contain two large extracellular domains, ECD1 and 2, which are thought to be important for their functions. Interestingly, part of ECD1 of ABCA7 is deposited as an autoantigen of Sjögren's syndrome.