The two Saccharomyces cerevisiae isoforms were recombinantly produced in yeast. The effects of the C-terminal tags on expression, purification and enzyme activity are discussed. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is a negative-sense RNA virus that has been shown to possess oncolytic activity. NDV’s selective replication in tumor cells has been previously

suggested to be due to the lack of a proper antiviral response in these cells. Here we demonstrate that NDV possesses oncolytic activity in tumor cells capable of a robust type I interferon (IFN) response, suggesting that another mechanism underlies NDV’s tumor specificity. We show that the oncolytic selectivity Trichostatin A mw of NDV for tumor cells is dependent upon tumor cell resistance to apoptosis. Utilizing the human non-small-cell lung cancer cell line A549 overexpressing the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-xL, we show significant enhancement of oncolytic activity and NDV replication. Interestingly, while the Bcl-xL-overexpressing cells were resistant to apoptotic stimuli induced by chemotherapeutic agents and early viral replication, during the subsequent viral cycles, we observed a paradoxical increase in apoptosis in response to NDV. Selleck Talazoparib The increased oncolytic activity seen was secondary to enhanced viral replication and syncytium

formation. The induction of a type I IFN response was enhanced in Bcl-xL cells. Overall, these findings propose a new mechanism for cancer cell specificity for NDV, making it an attractive anticancer agent for chemoresistant tumors with enhanced antiapoptotic activity.”
“Calcium signaling

is critical for all cells. As a free ion (Ca2+), calcium links many physiological Z-IETD-FMK stimuli to their intracellular effectors by interacting with binding proteins whose occupancy determines the cellular effect of stimulation. Because binding site occupancy depends on the history of Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]), Ca2+ dynamics are critical. Calcium dynamics depend on the functional interplay between Ca2+ transport and buffering systems whose activities depend nonlinearly on [Ca2+]. Thus, understanding Ca2+ dynamics requires detailed information about these Ca2+ handling systems and their regulation in intact cells. However, effective methods for measuring and characterizing intracellular Ca2+ handling have not been available until recently. Using concepts relating voltage-gated ion-channel activity to membrane potential dynamics, we developed such methods to analyze Ca2+ fluxes in intact cells. Here we describe this approach and applications to understanding depolarization-induced Ca2+ responses in sympathetic neurons.”
“Chronic stress is increasingly considered to be a main risk factor for the development of a variety of psychiatric diseases such as depression.