Vaccinia uses actin-based motility for virion movement in host cells, but the specific protein components have yet to be defined. A cardinal feature of Listeria and Shigella actin-based motility is the involvement of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP). This essential adapter recognizes and binds to actin-based motility 1 (ABM-1) consensus sequences [(D/E)FPPPPX(D/E), X = P or T] conta...

Filopodia are long plasma membrane extensions involved in the formation of adhesive, contractile, and protrusive actin-based structures in spreading and migrating cells. Whether filopodia formed by different molecular mechanisms equally support these cellular functions is unresolved. We used Enabled/vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (Ena/VASP)-deficient MV(D7) fibroblasts, which are also de...

Algorithms for comparing protein structure are frequently used for function annotation. By searching for subtle similarities among very different proteins, these algorithms can identify remote homologs with similar biological functions. In contrast, few comparison algorithms focus on specificity annotation, where the identification of subtle differences among very similar proteins can assist in...

Lawrence, Donald W., Katrina M. Comerford, and Sean P. Colgan. Role of VASP in reestablishment of epithelial tight junction assembly after Ca2 switch. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 282: C1235–C1245, 2002. First published January 9, 2002; 10.1152/ajpcell.00288.2001.—Epithelial permeability is tightly regulated by intracellular messengers. Critical to maintaining barrier integrity is the formation of...

We adapt hypergraph rewriting system to a generalization of Vector Addition Systems with States (VASS) that we call vector addition systems with pairs (VASP). We give rewriting systems and strategies, that allow us to obtain reachability equivalence results between some classes of VASP and VASS. Reachability for the later is well known be equivalent to reachability in Petri nets. VASP generaliz...

Vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) signaling is critical for dynamic actin reorganization processes that define the motile phenotype of cells. Here we show that VASP is generally highly expressed in normal breast tissue and breast cancer. We also show that the phosphorylation status of VASP at S322 can be predictive for breast cancer progression to an aggressive phenotype. Our data in...

Berberine is a plant-derived compound used in traditional Chinese medicine, which has been shown to inhibit cell proliferation and migration in breast cancer. On the other hand, vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) promotes actin filament elongation and cell migration. We previously showed that VASP is overexpressed in high-motility breast cancer cells. Here we investigated whether the ...

Epithelial permeability is tightly regulated by intracellular messengers. Critical to maintaining barrier integrity is the formation of tight junction complexes. A number of signaling pathways have been implicated in tight junction biogenesis; however, the precise molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. A growing body of evidence suggests a role for intracellular cAMP in tight junction a...

We tested the hypotheses that the NO-cGMP-PKG pathway mediates inhibition of the store-operated cation channel (SOC) in human glomerular mesangial cells (HMC) and that TRPC4, a molecular component of SOC in HMC, is associated with PKG-phosphorylated vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP). Using fura 2 ratiometry, we measured intracellular Ca(2+) concentration [Ca(2+)](i) to determine whet...

BACKGROUND Despite dual antiplatelet therapy, the rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains high. Ex vivo tests of clopidogrel resistance can predict MACE after PCI. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical impact of adjusting phosphorylation analysis in patients with clopidogrel resistance undergoing PCI. HYPOTHESIS...