We have earlier proposed that a cell-cell interaction, mediated by the specific binding of molecules of the beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta-APP) on one cell surface with molecules of presenilin (PS) on the other cell surface, is a required initial step in the ultimate production of beta-amyloid (Abeta) from beta-APP. Abeta is widely believed to be the neurotoxic agent in Alzheimer's diseas...

Coreceptor tropism antagonists represent a new class of antiretrovirals for the treatment of HIV infection. The knowledge of patients' viral population tropism before the initiation of and during therapy with such compounds may be critical in order to optimize treatment strategies. In this review we focus on the characteristics of phenotypic assays for the determination of HIV coreceptor tropis...

In this study, we aimed to establish an in vitro bacterium/bone cell coculture model system and to use this model for dose dependence studies of dual administration of antibiotics and growth factors in vitro. We examined the effect of single or dual administration of the antibiotic vancomycin (VAN) at 0 to 16 μg/ml and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) at 0 or 100 ng/ml on both methicillin-s...

Coculture of mesenchymal stem cells with chondrocytes increases production of cartilaginous matrix. Chondrocytes isolated from late stage osteoarthritic patients usually lost their phenotype of producing cartilaginous matrix. Fibroblast growth factor 18 is believed to redifferentiate OA chondrocyte into functionally active chondrocytes. The aim of this study is to investigate the supportive eff...

Coculture between mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and articular chondrocytes (ACs) represents a promising strategy for cartilage regeneration. This study aimed at elaborating how ACs were regulated by MSCs. Rabbit ACs (rACs) and rabbit MSCs (rMSCs) were seeded separately in a Transwell system to initiate non-contact coculture in growth medium without chondrogenic factors. Cell morphology, cell pr...

Burkholderia pseudomallei causes melioidosis, a potentially fatal disease whose clinical outcomes include rapid-onset septicemia and relapsing and delayed-onset infections. Like other facultative intracellular bacterial pathogens, B. pseudomallei is capable of survival in human phagocytic cells, but unlike mycobacteria, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella serovar Typhimurium, the species has...

Mast cells (MCs) are found in increased numbers at airway mucosal surfaces in asthmatic patients. Because human airway epithelial cells (HAECs) actively participate in airway inflammatory responses and are in direct contact with MCs in the mucosa, we hypothesized that HAEC-MC interactions may contribute to the differentiation and survival of MCs in the airway mucosa. Here, we show that HAECs ex...

Meniscus reconstruction is in great need for orthopedic surgeons. Meniscal fibrochondrocytes transplantation was proposed to regenerate functional meniscus, with limited donor supply. We hypothesized that coculture of synovial mesenchymal stem cells (SSC) with meniscal fibrochondrocytes (me-CH) can support matrix production of me-CH, thus reducing the number of me-CH needed for meniscus reconst...

We previously reported that in an orthotopic nude mouse model of human colon cancer, bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) migrated to the tumor stroma and promoted tumor growth and metastasis. Here, we evaluated the proliferation and migration ability of cancer cells cocultured with MSCs to elucidate the mechanism of interaction between cancer cells and MSCs. Proliferation and migr...

In the environment, multiple microbial taxa typically coexist as communities, competing for resources and, often, physically associated within biofilms. A dual-species cocultivation model has been developed by using two ubiquitous and well studied microbes Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P.a.) and Agrobacterium tumefaciens (A.t.) as a tractable system to identify molecular mechanisms that underlie mult...