Objective(s): Umbilical cord blood is a good source of the mesenchymal stem cells that can be banked, expanded and used in regenerative medicine.  The objective of this study was to test whether amniotic membrane extract, as a rich source of growth factors such as basic-fibroblast growth factor, can promote the proliferation potential of the umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells. Materials and ...

Drug-induced cholestasis is the main type of liver disorder accompanied by high morbidity and mortality. Evidence for the role of hepatobiliary pumps in the cholestasis patho-mechanism is constantly increasing. Recognition of the interactions of chemical agents with these transporters at the initial phases of drug discovery can help develop new drug candidates with low cholestasis potential. Th...

Albumin plays an important role in maintaining homeostasis within the body and depends on the cell membrane and the transport mechanism, including diffusion, osmosis, filtration, and active transport. The dissolved proteins, which are the only substances that do not penetrate the pores of the capillary membrane, are responsible for the osmotic pressure of the capillary membrane. Approximately 7...

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors selection papers published in Journal Cell Science, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Felicity Sterling author on ‘ StARD9 novel lysosomal kinesin required for membrane tubulation, cholesterol transport and Purkinje cell survival’, JCS. conducted research described this article while PhD student ...

After synthesis on membrane-bound ribosomes, the variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) of Trypanosoma brucei is modified by: (a) removal of an N-terminal signal sequence, (b) addition of N-linked oligosaccharides, and (c) replacement of a C-terminal hydrophobic peptide with a complex glycolipid that serves as a membrane anchor. Based on pulse-chase experiments with the variant ILTat-1.3, we now re...

The trans-Golgi network (TGN) is a major traffic hub of the cell, as it regulates membrane transport in the secretory pathway as well as receiving protein cargo by retrograde transport from endocytic compartments. Retrograde transport between endosomes and the TGN is essential for the recycling of membrane proteins which regulate a range of cellular and development functions. In addition, retro...

Lignin biosynthesis is an essential physiological activity of vascular plants if they are to survive under various environmental stresses on land. The biosynthesis of lignin proceeds in the cell wall by polymerization of precursors; the initial step of lignin polymerization is the transportation of lignin monomers from the cytosol to the cell wall, which is critical for lignin formation. There ...

Lignin biosynthesis is an essential physiological activity of vascular plants if they are to survive under various environmental stresses on land. The biosynthesis of lignin proceeds in the cell wall by polymerization of precursors; the initial step of lignin polymerization is the transportation of lignin monomers from the cytosol to the cell wall, which is critical for lignin formation. There ...

Polarized cell morphogenesis requires actin cytoskeleton rearrangement for polarized transport of proteins, organelles and secretory vesicles, which fundamentally underlies cell differentiation and behavior. During yeast mating, Saccharomyces cerevisiae responds to extracellular pheromone gradients by extending polarized projections, which are likely maintained through vesicle transport to (exo...

The E-CELL project [?] was launched in 1996 at Keio University in order to model and simulate various cellular processes with the ultimate goal of simulating the cell as a whole. The rst version of the E-CELL simulation system, which is a generic software package for cell modeling, was completed in 1997. The E-CELL system enables us to model not only metabolic pathways but also other higherorde...