During pulmonary edema, the alveolar space is exposed to a hypoxic environment. The integrity of the alveolar epithelial barrier is required for the reabsorption of alveolar fluid. Tight junctions (TJ) maintain the integrity of this barrier. We set out to determine whether hypoxia creates a dysfunctional alveolar epithelial barrier, evidenced by an increase in transepithelial electrical conduct...

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a hydrophilic polymer, known to be capable to fuse numerous single cells in vitro, to join the membranes of adjacent neurons and giant invertebrate axons, and to seal damaged neural membranes. The molecular mechanism of the action of PEG is still unknown. It is believed that PEG dehydrates membranes and enables their structural components to resolve and rearrange in...

the major limitation in the application of bioactive molecule is their low permeation across plasma membrane. in 1988 it was discovered, that a natural polycationic protein, the trans-acting activator of transcription (tat) of the human immunodeficiency virus (hiv-1), passed very efficiently through cell membrane of cultured mammalian cells. tat became known as the first cell penetrating peptid...

Thioridazine (TZ) is used mainly in the treatment of schizophrenia. However, hepatotoxicity as a life-threatening adverse effect is associated with its clinical use. In this context, we examined the cytotoxic mechanisms of TZ on freshly isolated rat hepatocytes to better understanding of the pathogenesis of TZ-induced hepatotoxicity. Hepatocytes were prepared by the method of collagenase enzyme...

Guard cells must maintain the integrity of the plasma membrane as they undergo large, rapid changes in volume. It has been assumed that changes in volume are accompanied by changes in surface area, but mechanisms for regulating plasma membrane surface area have not been identified in intact guard cells, and the extent to which surface area of the guard cells changes with volume has never been d...

Mid2p is a plasma membrane protein that functions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a sensor of cell wall stress, activating the PKC1-MPK1 cell integrity pathway via the small GTPase Rho1p during exposure to mating pheromone, calcofluor white, and heat. To examine Mid2p signalling, a global synthetic interaction analysis of a mid2 mutant was performed; this identified 11 interacting genes. These i...

Background: ROS production is a well-established phenomenon during sperm cryopreservation. Therefore, supplementation of freezing media with antioxidant is an inevitable event. The aim of this study was to assess whether a cell permeable superoxide dismutase agent such as MnTE, can further improve the quality of frozen/ thawed semen sample using a commercially optimized sperm cryopreservation m...