A cDNA clone of human transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha) was introduced into two different retroviral vectors under the transcriptional control of either the viral LTR, vector 1520, or an internal mouse metallothionein-1 promoter, vector 1522. Infection of normal rat kidney fibroblasts (NRK-49F) and mouse mammary epithelial cells (NOG-8), followed by selection, allowed isolation of individual colonies expressing human TGF-alpha. NRK-49F and NOG-8 1520 infectants conditioned their media with equivalent amounts of TGF-alpha protein but responded differently to autocrine stimulation. NOG-8 infectants formed colonies in soft agar and tumors in nude mice. However, while the NRK-49F infectants proliferated in the presence of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), a response that requires epidermal growth factor (EGF) or TGF-alpha, they exhibited neither anchorage independent growth nor tumorigenicity. NRK-49F cells infected with the 1522 vector produced five-fold more TGF-alpha than the 1520 infectants. Increasing the level of TGF-alpha production by the NRK-49F cells in this way was sufficient to promote agar growth of the cells in the presence of TGF-beta but insufficient to promote tumorigenesis. The EGF receptor level is approximately ten-fold higher on the NOG-8 epithelial cells than on the NRK-49F fibroblast. This fact, in conjunction with the experimental results, suggest that the target cell type and its ability to respond to TGF-alpha is as critical for autocrine stimulation as the amount of growth factor produced by the cells.
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Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Department of Bioengineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125.
The diversity and heterogeneity of biomarkers has made the development of general methods for single-step quantification of analytes difficult. For individual biomarkers, electrochemical methods that detect a conformational change in an affinity binder upon analyte binding have shown promise. However, because the conformational change must operate within a nanometer-scale working distance, an entirely new sensor, with a unique conformational change, must be developed for each analyte.
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January 2025
Institute of Medical Microbiology, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen University Hospital, Aachen 52074, Germany.
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January 2025
Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.
A spectacular diversity of forms and features allow species to thrive in different environments, yet some structures remain relatively unchanged. Insect compound eyes are easily recognizable despite dramatic differences in visual abilities across species. It is unknown whether distant insect species use similar or different mechanisms to pattern their eyes or what types of genetic changes produce diversity of form and function.
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January 2025
Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Biopharmaceuticals, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Recurrent missense mutations in the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) have been identified across various human cancers. Among these mutations, the active S310F mutation in the HER2 extracellular domain stands out as not only oncogenic but also confers resistance to pertuzumab, an antibody drug widely used in clinical cancer therapy, by impeding its binding. In this study, we have successfully employed computational-aided rational design to undertake directed evolution of pertuzumab, resulting in the creation of an evolved pertuzumab variant named Ptz-SA.
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January 2025
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
While iron (Fe) is essential for life and plays important roles for almost all growth related processes, it can trigger cell death in both animals and plants. However, the underlying mechanisms for Fe-induced cell death in plants remain largely unknown. S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) has previously been reported to regulate nitric oxide homeostasis to prevent Fe-induced cell death within root meristems.
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