Local axon degeneration is a common pathological feature of many neurodegenerative diseases, whereas the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study, we used the degeneration of transected axons, termed "Wallerian degeneration," as a model to examine the possible involvement of Rho. Nogo-66, a myelin-derived inhibitor of axon regeneration, significantly accelerated axon d...

BACKGROUND Direct evidence for Rho-kinase activation in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) is still lacking. METHODS AND RESULTS Rho-kinase activity in circulating neutrophils was examined by determining the ratio of phosphorylated/total forms of myosin-binding subunit, a substrate of Rho-kinase, in 40 consecutive PH patients and 40 healthy controls. Next, Rho-kinase expression and act...

The pressure and temperature-dependent linear absorption spectrum of partially deuterated water HOD dissolved in heavy water D(2)O was measured in the OH-stretching spectral region. The temperature was varied in the interval of 298 K</=T</=700 K while the density was changed within the range of 12 moll</=rho</=58 moll corresponding to the liquid and the supercritical phases of the fluid solutio...

Objective To investigate whether the strength of the association between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) metrics and cognitive outcomes differs between various multiple sclerosis subpopulations. Methods A total of 1052 patients were included in this large cross-sectional study. Brain MRI (T1 and T2 lesion volume and brain parenchymal fraction) and neuropsychological assessment (Brief Interna...

The Rho GTPase and Fyn tyrosine kinase have been implicated previously in positive control of keratinocyte cell-cell adhesion. Here, we show that Rho and Fyn operate along the same signaling pathway. Endogenous Rho activity increases in differentiating keratinocytes and is required for both Fyn kinase activation and increased tyrosine phosphorylation of beta- and gamma-catenin, which is associa...

Transcription-termination factor rho of Escherichia coli functions as an RNA-dependent ATPase that causes transcript release at specific rho-dependent termination sites on the DNA template. Rho exists as a hexagon of identical subunits, physically organized as a trimer of dimers with D3 symmetry. The structural asymmetry of the dimer is reflected in the binding properties of rho; each dimer has...

Evidence is accumulating that the rho family, a member of the ras p21-related small GTP-binding protein superfamily, regulates cell morphology, cell motility, and smooth muscle contraction through the actomyosin system. The actomyosin system is also known to be essential for cytoplasmic division of cells (cytokinesis). In this study, we examined the action of rho p21, its inhibitory GDP/GTP exc...

BACKGROUND Rho and its effector Rho-kinase/ROCK mediate cytoskeletal reorganization as well as smooth muscle contraction. Recent studies indicate that Rho and ROCK are critically involved in vascular remodeling. Here, we tested the hypothesis that Rho/ROCK are critically involved in angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) by mediating a specific signal ...