Calcium (Ca 2+ ) is a second messenger essential for cellular homeostasis. Inside the cell, Ca compartmentalized and exchanged among organelles in response to both external internal stimuli. Mitochondria‐associated membranes (MAMs) provide platform proteins channels involved transfer between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) mitochondria. Deregulated signaling regulating ER–mitochondria interactions h...

Necroptosis, as a novel concept, has been recently introduced in scientific literature. Much of our knowledge about necroptosis comes from ligation of tumor necrosis factor-α to its receptor, TNF receptor 1. Receptor-interacting protein kinase 1, receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 and its substrate, the pseudokinase mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein, have been comprehensively st...

There is evidence that a carboxyl-terminal valine residue is an anterograde transport signal for type I transmembrane proteins. Removal of the signal would either delay glycosylation in the Golgi complex of proteins destined to recycle to the endoplasmic reticulum or determine accumulation in the endoplasmic reticulum of newly synthesized proteins destined for the plasma membrane. We used the h...

In animal cells, the endoplasmic reticulum may participate in programmed cell death by sensing and transducing apoptotic signals. In an attempt to analyze the role of the endoplasmic reticulum in plant programmed cell death we investigated the effect of cyclopiazonic acid, a specific blocker of plant endoplasmic reticulum-type IIA Ca2+-pumps, in soybean cells. Cyclopiazonic acid treatment elici...

Members of the epidermal growth factor family play important roles in the regulation of cell growth, proliferation, and survival. However, the specific roles of each epidermal growth factor family member with respect to brain injury are not well understood. Gene chip assay screens have revealed drastic increases in the expression of the epidermal growth factor family members amphiregulin and ep...

We have infected isolated skeletal muscle fibers with the vesicular stomatitis virus or the mutant tsO45, whose glycoprotein is blocked in the endoplasmic reticulum at 39 degrees C. Immunofluorescence analysis for the viral glycoprotein indicated that the fibers were infected over their entire length at a virus dose of 10(9)/ml. When we infected the myofibers with the tsO45 mutant at 39 degrees...

The original concept of endoplasmic reticulum derived from the observation of a reticular network in cultured fibroblasts by electron microscopy of whole cells. It was previously reported that the fluorescent dye, DiOC6(3), stains a similar network as well as mitochondria and other organelles in living cells. Here, we investigate the significance of the structures labeled by DiO6(3) in CV-1 cel...

BACKGROUND Pancreatic β cell dysfunction and death are central in the pathogenesis of most if not all forms of diabetes. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying β cell failure is important to develop β cell protective approaches. SCOPE OF REVIEW Here we review the role of endoplasmic reticulum stress and dysregulated endoplasmic reticulum stress signaling in β cell failure in monoge...