Author Affiliations:Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Yin, Leis); Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Kiss, Leis); Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Kiss, Leis); Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook Hea...

Six RNA aptamers that bind to yeast phenylalanine tRNA were identified by in vitro selection from a random-sequence pool. The two most abundantly represented aptamers interact with the tRNA anticodon loop, each through a sequence block with perfect Watson-Crick complementarity to the loop. It was possible to truncate one of these aptamers to a simple hairpin loop that forms a classical 'kissing...

Kiss of death D8 cytotoxic T cells are serial killers that slay one infected or cancerous cell after another. During each fatal encounter, an intercellular junction called the immunological synapse forms between killer and victim, according to researchers from Oxford University (Oxford, UK). Their work suggests new functions for the immunological synapse and supports the hypothesis that the imm...

OBJECTIVES Ghrelin is a peptide hormone that has been shown to have numerous central and peripheral effects. The central effects including GH secretion, food intake, and energy homeostasis are partly mediated by Kiss1- KissR signaling pathway. Ghrelin and its receptor are also expressed in the pancreatic islets. Ghrelin is one of the key metabolic factors controlling insulin secretion from the ...

Recent studies have demonstrated that the G protein-coupled receptor 54 (GPR54) and its natural ligand kisspeptin (KiSS) play important roles in the control of puberty and reproductive maturation in mammals. In addition, GPR54 mRnA has been localized on the neurons expressing three GnRh mRnAs in tilapia (Parhar et al., 2004). however, localization of GPR54 protein on GnRh neuronal elements has ...

Kisspeptins (KPs) encoded by the KiSS-1 gene are C-terminally amidated peptide products, including KP- 10, KP-13, KP-14 and KP-54, which are endogenous agonists for the G-protein coupled receptor-54 (GPR54). Functional analyses have demonstrated fundamental roles of KiSS-1 in whole body homeostasis including sexual differentiation of brain, action on sex steroids and metabolic regulation of fer...

We have applied cell-attached capacitance measurements to investigate whether synaptic-like microvesicles (SLMVs) undergo regulated exocytosis in insulinoma and primary pancreatic beta-cells. SLMV and large dense-core vesicle (LDCV) exocytosis was increased 1.6- and 2.4-fold upon stimulation with 10 mmol/l glucose in INS-1 cells. Exocytosis of both types of vesicles was coupled to Ca(2+) entry ...

Exocytosis and 'kiss-and-run' secretion coexist in chromaffin cells. Our findings suggest that these mechanisms are closely related, based on their common molecular machinery. Here we present a model that describes how chromaffin cells regulate catecholamine release by switching the mode of secretion between the two pathways, a process controlled by phosphorylation. Stimulation-dependent vesicl...

Kisspeptin and the G protein-coupled receptor 54 (GPR54) are highly abundant in the pancreas. In addition, circulating kisspeptin directly influences insulin secretion through GPR54. However, the mechanisms by which kisspeptin affects insulin release are unclear. The LIM-homeodomain transcription factor, Isl-1, is expressed in all pancreatic islet cells and is involved in regulating both islet ...

The present study investigated the consistency of the head-turning bias in kissing. In particular we addressed what happens if a person who prefers to kiss with the head turned to the right kisses a person who prefers to kiss with the head turned to the left. To this end, participants (N=57) were required to kiss a life-sized doll's head rotated in different orientations that were either compat...