Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus viral FLICE inhibitory protein modulates A20 deubiquitinase activity.

KSHV viral FLICE inhibitory protein (vFLIP) is a potent activator of NF-κB signalling and an inhibitor of apoptosis and autophagy. Inhibition of vFLIP function and NF-κB signalling promotes lytic reactivation. Here we provide evidence for a novel function of vFLIP through inhibition of the deubiquitinating (DUB) activity of the negative regulator, A20.

PKCα and PKCβ cooperate functionally in CD3-induced de novo IL-2 mRNA transcription.

The physiological functions of PKCα and PKCθ isotypes downstream of the antigen receptor have been defined in CD3(+) T cells. In contrast, no function of the second conventional PKC member, PKCβ, has been described yet in T cell antigen receptor signalling. To investigate the hypothesis that both conventional PKCα and PKCβ isotypes may have overlapping functions in T cell activation signalling, we generated mice that lacked the genes for both isotypes.

Differences in DNA damage and repair produced by systemic, hepatocarcinogenic and sarcomagenic dibenzocarbazole derivatives in a model of rat liver progenitor cells.

Liver progenitor (oval) cells are a potential target cell population for hepatocarcinogens. Our recent study showed that the liver carcinogens 7H-dibenzo[c,g]carbazole (DBC) and 5,9-dimethyldibenzo[c,g]carbazole (DiMeDBC), but not the sarcomagen N-methyldibenzo[c,g]carbazole (N-MeDBC), induced several cellular events associated with tumor promotion in WB-F344 cells, an in vitro model of liver oval cells [J. Vondracek, L.