Christensenchang0368

Our analyses showed that the Slc39a14-/- mice displaying torticollis and/or Straub tail had tests scores comparable to scores of their counterparts that never displayed these postural abnormalities. ERK inhibitor The z-score general index of performance revealed that the Slc39a14-/- model presents a complex pathological motor phenotype relevant to the complexity of phenotypes identified in childhood-onset parkinsonism-dystonia.Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have huge potential for various biomedical applications, but their successful use depends on their uptake and possible toxicity in the liver, their main site for accumulation. Therefore, in this work we compared the cytotoxic effects induced by AuNPs with different size (~ 15 nm and 60 nm), shape (nanospheres and nanostars) and capping [citrate- or 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA)], in human HepaRG cells or primary rat hepatocytes (PRH) cultivated with serum-free or Foetal Bovine Serum (FBS)-supplemented media. The safety assessment of the AuNPs demonstrated that overall they present low toxicity towards hepatic cells. Among all the tested AuNPs, the smaller 15 nm spheres displayed the highest toxicity. The toxicological effect was capping, size and cell-type dependent with citrate-capping more toxic than MUA (PRH with FBS), the 15 nm AuNPs more toxic than 60 nm counterparts and PRH more sensitive, as compared to the HepaRG cells. The incubation with FBS-free media produced aggregation of AuNPs while its presence greatly influenced the toxicity outcomes. The cellular uptake of AuNPs was shape, size and capping dependent in PRH cultivated in FBS-supplemented media, and significantly different between the two types of cells with extensively higher internalization of AuNPs in PRH, as compared to the HepaRG cells. These data show that the physical-chemical properties of AuNPs, including size and shape, as well as the type of cellular model, greatly influence the interaction of the AuNPs with the biological environment and consequently, their toxicological effects.Current treatment options of glioblastoma include chemotherapy and limited surgical resection. Temozolomide (TMZ) is the current therapeutic choice for chemotherapy. Still, it has severe limitations due to the development of resistance that occurs by genetic modification and constitutive activation of several cell signaling pathways. Therefore, it is essential to develop combination therapy of TMZ with other novel compounds to prevent the development of chemo-resistance. In this study, we used two inhibitors; ICA, an inhibitor of PKC-ι and ζ-Stat, an inhibitor of PKC-ζ. T98G and U87MG glioblastoma cells were treated with either ICA or ζ-stat or TMZ monotherapies, as well as TMZ were combined with either ICA or ζ-stat for five consecutive days. Our in vitro results exhibited that ICA when combined with TMZ, significantly decreased the viability of cancerous cells compared with untreated or TMZ or ICA monotherapies. Additionally, glioblastoma cells were remarkably undergoing apoptosis against the combination treatment of TMZ and ICA nucleotide compared with untreated control cells, as suggested by our Annexin-V/PI flow cytometric analysis. Moreover, the combination of TMZ and ICA also decreased the invasion of glioblastoma cell lines by acting on FAK/Paxillin pathway, as evidenced by scratch assay, transwell invasion assay, Western blot and immunoprecipitation analysis. Furthermore, our in vivo data presented that the combination of ICA and TMZ also reduced glioblastoma tumor growth and volume in mice. These data suggest that atypical PKCs, particularly PKC-ι might be an important therapeutic target as adjuvant therapy in the treatment of glioblastoma.Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) were used to develop an assay format that may deliver information on teratogenicity of drugs. A human pluripotent stem cell scorecard panel was used to monitor the expression of 96 marker genes that are indicative of the stem cell state or differentiation into the ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm lineages. We selected a human episomal iPS cell line for the assay based on karyotype stability, initial pluripotency, differentiation capacity and overall gene expression variability. The assay is based on embryoid body formation and was developed to be simply automated. In this proof of concept study, we used eight reference compounds (valproic acid, all-trans-retinoic acid, thalidomide, methotrexate, hydroxyurea, ascorbic acid, penicillin G and ibuprofen) to test the technical performance of the assay (readout stability) in concentration-response and time-course experiments. We also found that each compound affected marker gene expression in a different way. Various forms of data analysis identified 19 out of 96 early developmental genes as potential predictive markers for teratogenicity. Machine-learning models were run to exemplify how the assay will be developed further. The preliminary results from these analyses suggest that the assay could be suitable for the pre-screening of candidate pharmaceutical compounds. The approach presented here points a way towards development of a human cell-based assay that could replace the murine EST currently used to screen for early indications of potential teratogenicity of drug candidates.Activin A plays a central role in the differentiation of stem cells into definitive endoderm, the first step in embryonic development and function development in many organ systems. The aims of this study were to induce controlled and fine-tuned cell differentiation using a gradient nanotechnology and compare this with a classic protocol and to investigate how induced pluripotent stem cells differentiated depending on the gradual increase of Activin A. The density difference was tested by attaching Activin A to a gold nanoparticle gradient for high-precision density continuity. Cells expressed the definitive endoderm markers SRY-box transcription factor 17 and transcription factor GATA-4 to different extents along the gradient, indicating a density-dependent cell response to Activin A. In both the gradient and the classic differentiation setups, the protein expression increased from days 1 to 5, but a significant increase already on day 3 was found only in the gradient-based setup. By utilizing the gradient technology to present the right amount of active biomolecules to cells in vitro, we were able to find an optimal setting for differentiation into definitive endoderm.