We used the rat nerve growth factor receptor ectodomain (NGFRe) and Escherichia coli ss-lactamase to dissect the functions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae BiP/Kar2p in vivo. Both were fused to the Hsp150Delta-polypeptide, which promotes proper folding of heterologous proteins which otherwise are misfolded in the yeast ER. Hsp150Delta-NGFRe and Hsp150Delta-beta-lactamase acquired disulfides and were...

Olfactory Ensheathing Cells (OECs) ensheathe unmyelinated olfactory axons and exhibit antigenic and morphological characteristics both of astrocytes and of Schwann Cells (SCs). As a matter of fact they express an astrocyte-specific marker (GFAP) and low-affinity p75 nerve growth factor receptor (p75 NGFr), S100, as well as adhesion molecules such as laminin and N-CAM like SCs. Immunocytochemica...

The nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor was characterized by using a new series of anti-receptor monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). These MAbs (i) showed significantly greater reactivity with a melanoma cell line expressing higher levels of NGF receptor, (ii) inhibited the binding of 125I-labeled NGF to its receptor, and (iii) immunoprecipitated both metabolically labeled and 125I-labeled NGF affinit...

The cell surface receptor for beta-nerve growth factor was used as a probe to study the development of embryonic chick sensory ganglia. The ganglia were shown to lose their responsiveness to nerve growth factor in vitro between 14 and 16 days of embryonic age. This loss occurred by a decrease in the magnitude of the maximum biological response, not by a shifting of the response to higher concen...

Two to 4 hours after unilateral renal exclusion in rats, urine flow rate from the remaining kidney had increased to twice the control level, whereas the filtration rate remained unchanged. After contralateral nephrectomy, NGFR was similar to that of controls, but fractional water reabsorption along proximal tubules decreased. Protein concentration in efferent arteriolar plasma, and hydrostatic ...

Studies on molecular mechanisms of self-renewal in normal stem cells are required for understanding the cancer stem cell. Self-renewal in many kinds of normal stem cells might be accelerated in the growth of a young organism and in the repair of damaged tissue. This study examined whether the esophagus in growing neonates provides an experimental system for studies on epithelial stem cell renew...

Type 1 von Willebrand disease (VWD), characterized by reduced levels of plasma von Willebrand factor (VWF), is the most common inherited bleeding disorder in humans. Penetrance of VWD is incomplete, and expression of the bleeding phenotype is highly variable. In addition, plasma VWF levels vary widely among normal individuals. To identify genes that influence VWF level, we analyzed a genetic cr...