Laminins, the major basement membrane glycoproteins, are composed of three subunits. We identified a splice variant of the human laminin alpha4 subunit transcript containing 21 extra nucleotides. A heptapeptide sequence, MDCPTIS, was inserted close to the two cysteine residues possibly involved in the intersubunit disulfide bonds. Both the authentic alpha4 subunit (alpha4A) and the variant with the heptapeptide insertion (alpha4B) were readily secreted as laminin-8 trimers (alpha4Abeta1gamma1 or alpha4Bbeta1gamma1) upon cotransfection with expression vectors for the beta1 and gamma1 subunits. The purified recombinant laminin-8 containing the alpha4B subunit was more potent in promoting cell spreading than that containing alpha4A, raising the possibility that the alternative splicing of the alpha4 subunit transcript regulates the cell-adhesive activity of laminin-8. Since both alpha4A and alpha4B transcripts were detected by RT-PCR in several human cell lines, these two isoforms of laminin-8 with differing cell-adhesive activities are present in the basement membranes of human tissues.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0006-291x(02)02642-6 | DOI Listing |
Front Neurosci
December 2024
Stress Neurobiology Laboratory, Division of Basic Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United States.
The expression of GABARs goes through large scale, evolutionarily conserved changes through the early postnatal period. While these changes have been well-studied in brain regions such as the hippocampus and sensory cortices, less is known about early developmental changes in other brain areas. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a major hub in the circuitry that mediates motivated behaviors and disruptions in NAc activity is a part of the neuropathology observed in mood and substance use disorders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedicine (Baltimore)
December 2024
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is characterized by ventricular dilation and poor systolic function. Approximately half of idiopathic DCM cases are assigned to genetic causes in familial or apparently sporadic cases, and more than 50 genes are reported to cause DCM. However, genetic basis of most DCM patients still keeps unknown and require further study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBehav Brain Res
March 2025
Department of Pharmacy, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University, Gopalganj 8100, Bangladesh; Bioinformatics and Drug Innovation Laboratory, BioLuster Research Center Ltd., Gopalganj 8100, Bangladesh; Pharmacy Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna 9208, Bangladesh. Electronic address:
Background: Anxiety disorder is the most common mental illness and a major contributor to impairment. Thus, there is an urgent need to find novel lead compounds to mitigate anxiety. It is widely recognized that the neurobiology of anxiety-related behavior involves GABAergic systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochemistry (Mosc)
November 2024
Laboratory of Regulation of Brain Neuronal Functions, Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, 199034, Russia.
Previous studies have shown that the combined effect of fetal hypoxia and maternal stress hormones predetermines tendency to nicotine addiction in adulthood. This study in rats aimed to investigate the effect of prenatal severe hypoxia (PSH) on acetylcholine metabolism in the developing brain, as well as on expression of acetylcholine receptors and in both the developing brain and adult brain structures following nicotine consumption. In the developing brain of PSH rats, no changes were found in the activity of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) or disturbances in the acetylcholine levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
November 2024
Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66103, USA.
Na,K-ATPase is the active ion transport system that maintains the electrochemical gradients for Na and K across the plasma membrane of most animal cells. Na,K-ATPase is constituted by the association of two major subunits, a catalytic α and a glycosylated β subunit, both of which exist as different isoforms (in mammals known as α1, α2, α3, α4, β1, β2 and β3). Na,K-ATPase α and β isoforms assemble in different combinations to produce various isozymes with tissue specific expression and distinct biochemical properties.
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