US28 is a chemokine receptor encoded by the human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) and seems to be crucial for viral propagation. It is a constitutively active receptor. For instance it was shown that US28 signals via Gq/PLC and activates the transcription factors nuclear factor κB (NFκB), cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) and nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT). Hence, the recept...

BACKGROUND GASP-2 is a secreted multi-domain glycoprotein known as a specific inhibitor of myostatin and GDF-11. Here we investigate the role of GASP-2 on myogenesis and the effect of its glycosylation on its activity. METHODS GASP-2 overexpression or knockdown by shRNAs were carried out on C2C12 myoblasts cells. In silico analysis of GASP-2 protein was performed to identify its glycosylation...

The transporting function of many branched tubular networks like our lungs and circulatory system depend on the sizes and shapes of their branches. Understanding the mechanisms of tube size control during organ development may offer new insights into a variety of human pathologies associated with stenoses or cystic dilations in tubular organs. Here, we present the first secreted luminal protein...

The largest superfamily of membrane proteins that translate extracellular signals into intracellular messages are the 7-transmembrane-spanning (7TM) G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). One of the ways in which their activity is controlled is by the process of desensitization and endocytosis, whereby agonist-activated receptors are rapidly and often reversibly silenced through removal from the c...

OBJECTIVE To detect some proteins associated with the effect of ganoderma lucidium spores (GASP) on promoting the survival and axon regeneration of injured spinal motor neurons in rats. METHODS The rats were divided into normal control group, untreated group and GASP-treated group, and the rats in the last two groups received ventral root avulsion. GASP preparation was fed to the rats in the ...

BACKGROUND Drugs of abuse elevate brain dopamine levels, and, in vivo, chronic drug use is accompanied by a selective decrease in dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) availability in the brain. Such a decrease consequently alters the ratio of D1R:D2R signaling towards the D1R. Despite a plethora of behavioral studies dedicated to the understanding of the role of dopamine in addiction, a molecular mechani...

Aberrant dopaminergic signaling is a critical determinant in multiple psychiatric disorders, and in many disease states, dopamine receptor number is altered. Here we identify a molecular mechanism that selectively targets D2 receptors for degradation after their activation by dopamine. The degradative fate of D2 receptors is determined by an interaction with G protein coupled receptor-associate...

We analyze the strength of association between aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrievals from the GOES aerosol/smoke product (GASP) and ground-level fine particulate matter (PM2.5) to assess AOD as a proxy for PM2.5 in the United States. GASP AOD is retrieved from a geostationary platform, giving half-hourly observations every day, in contrast to once per day snapshots from polar-orbiting satellit...

PURPOSE Growth and differentiation factor-11 (GDF-11) is a TGF-β family member that plays important regulatory roles in development of multiple tissues which include axial skeletal patterning, palatal closure, and tooth formation. Proteins that have been identified as GDF-11 inhibitors include GDF-associated serum protein-1 (GASP-1) and GASP-2. Recently, we found that mice genetically engineere...