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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Connexin Overexpression Differentially Suppresses Glioma Growth And Contributes To The Bystander Effect Following Hsv-Thymidine Kinase Gene Therapy, T. Jiminez, W. Fox, C. Naus, J. Galipeau, Daniel Belliveau Dec 2005

Connexin Overexpression Differentially Suppresses Glioma Growth And Contributes To The Bystander Effect Following Hsv-Thymidine Kinase Gene Therapy, T. Jiminez, W. Fox, C. Naus, J. Galipeau, Daniel Belliveau

Daniel J. Belliveau

Neoplastic transformation is frequently associated with a loss of gap junctional intercellular communication and reduced expression of connexins. The introduction of connexin genes into tumor cells reverses the proliferative characteristics of such cells. However, there is very little comparative information on the effects of different connexins on cancer cell growth. We hypothesized that Cx26, Cx32, or Cx43 would display differential growth suppression of C6 glioma cells and uniquely modulate the bystander effect following transduction of C6 cells with HSVtk followed by suicide gene therapy. The bystander phenomenon is the death of a greater number of tumor cells than are expressing …


Pka-Mediated Erk1/2 Inactivation And Hsp70 Gene Expression Following Exercise, C.W. Melling, Matthew Krause, Earl Noble Dec 2005

Pka-Mediated Erk1/2 Inactivation And Hsp70 Gene Expression Following Exercise, C.W. Melling, Matthew Krause, Earl Noble

Jamie Melling

Exercise induces the expression of the cardioprotective protein, Hsp70, through the activation of its transcription factor HSF1. Recently, we reported that administration of a protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor suppressed exercise-induced hsp70 gene expression, suggesting a role for PKA in the regulation of HSF1 activation in vivo. While the mechanism by which PKA regulates HSF1 is unclear, studies in vitro have reported that HSF1 is phosphorylated on two serine residues by mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs); ERK1/2 (ser307) and JNK/SAPK (ser363). As PKA is a regulator of these protein kinases, the current study examined the role of PKA in their …


Enhanced Neurite Outgrowth In Pc12 Cells Mediated By Connexin Hemichannels And Atp, Daniel Belliveau, M. Bani-Yagoub, R. Mcgirr, C. Naus, W. Rushlow Dec 2005

Enhanced Neurite Outgrowth In Pc12 Cells Mediated By Connexin Hemichannels And Atp, Daniel Belliveau, M. Bani-Yagoub, R. Mcgirr, C. Naus, W. Rushlow

Daniel J. Belliveau

Gap junctions have traditionally been described as transmembrane channels that facilitate intercellular communication via the passage of small molecules. Connexins, the basic building blocks of gap junctions, are expressed in most mammalian tissues including the developing and adult central nervous system. During brain development, connexins are temporally and spatially regulated suggesting they play an important role in the proper formation of the central nervous system. In the current study, connexins 32 and 43 were overexpressed in PC12 cells to determine whether connexins are involved in neuronal differentiation. Both connexin 32 and 43 were appropriately trafficked to the cell membrane following …