Human B cells are currently not known to produce the proapoptotic protease granzyme B (GrB) in physiological settings. We have discovered that BCR stimulation with either viral Ags or activating Abs in the context of the acute phase cytokine IL-21 can induce the secretion of substantial amounts of GrB by human B cells. Importantly, GrB response to viral Ags was significantly stronger in B cells...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the role of miR-21 in cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor NS398-induced apoptosis and invasion in gastric cancer (GC) cells. METHODS AGS cells were treated with NS398 and transfected with miR-21. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to measure miR-21 mRNA expression. Apoptotic cells were assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick ...

Professional antigen-presenting cells, such as macrophages, dendritic cells, or B cells, take up soluble, exogenous antigens (Ags) and process them through the class II pathway. Several reports have shown that phagocytic macrophages also process particulate or soluble forms of exogenous Ag via the class I pathway. By contrast, B cells normally do not process soluble, exogenous Ag by way of the ...

Understanding of the metabolic pathways connected with a removal micropollutant bisphenol A (BPA) may help to better design effective wastewater treatment processes. The aim this study was determine changes in gene expression an aerobic granular sludge (AGS) community exposed BPA. In study, AGS adapted BPA degradation used. sludge, dosed; as control sample, granules without addition were mRNA i...

Trogocytosis is a contact-dependent intercellular transfer of membrane fragments and associated molecules from APCs to effector lymphocytes. We previously demonstrated that trogocytosis also occurs between tumor target and cognate melanoma Ag-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTL). In this study, we show that, following trogocytosis, immune effector cells acquire molecular components of the tumor, in...

Tuberculosis (TB) kills 2 million people per year and infection with HIV is the most potent known risk factor for progression to active TB. An understanding of the immune response to TB Ags in HIV-infected patients is required to develop optimal TB vaccines and diagnostics. We assessed polyfunctional (IFN-gamma(+)IL-2(+)TNF-alpha(+)) T cell responses to TB Ags in three groups of HIV-1-infected ...

OBJECTIVES Buxus Microphylla var. Koreana Nakai Extract (BMKNE) is used as a folk remedy for malaria and veneral disease. In the present study, we investigated the effects of BMKNE in the growth and the survival of AGS cells, the most common human gastric adenocarcinoma cell lines. METHODS The AGS cells were treated with varying concentrations of BMKNE. Analyses of the sub G1 peak, the caspas...

BACKGROUND It has been previously reported that melittin, the main ingredient of honey bee venom, has anticancer properties. However, there appears to be no earlier study focusing on the isolation of melittin from Iranian honey bee venom (Apis mellifera meda), and evaluation of its effect on cancerous cells. METHODS We isolated melittin using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatogra...

The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between patched 1 (PTCH1) expression and its methylation in a human gastric cancer cell line, in order to provide new information regarding carcinogenesis and the development of gastric cancer. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and the immunocytochemical S-P method were used to identify the changes in PTC...

β-1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-8 (β3Gn-T8) is the most recently identified enzyme in the β3Gn-T family, but its biological function is poorly understood. To elucidate the effects of β3Gn-T8 on gastric cancer behavior, β3Gn-T8 was down-regulated in AGS cells using small interfering RNA (siRNA). The mRNA and protein expression levels of β3Gn-T8 were detected using RT-PCR and Western blotti...